


you give me something to think about

by myndopeus



Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Hogwarts Seventh Year, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Multiple, Quidditch, Slow Burn, Trini has Anxiety in this fic, as any good slowburn should have, enemies to not-enemies to maybe friends to friends to i guess we're dating, this story is still in the works so i'll add things as they come up, well more like
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-04
Updated: 2018-08-27
Packaged: 2018-10-27 21:23:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 55,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10817022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myndopeus/pseuds/myndopeus
Summary: Trini's never been good at making friends, which only makes being stuck in the same school for seven years even more miserable. But when she finally does meet someone nice, she ends up with a whole lot more than she bargained for.It's gonna be one hell of a year.The Slowburn Hogwarts AU that no one asked for.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> First chapter is more of a prologue than anything, mainly for me to find the right style and feel. This is gonna be a multi-chapter fic, possibly with different POVs mixed in. Cranscott is tagged, but it's more of a side ship.  
> Also, I'm low-key salty that we only have one movie to go off of, because I need to know more about these characters, dammit! So if this continues until another movie comes out, I can't guarantee that the characters will be consistent with the canon. I'm just going off of what we have/common fandom headcanons.
> 
> Enjoy, and please leave kudos or a comment if you like it!

* * *

 

Trini stifles a yawn behind her mouth as she steps onto the pitch. It was early enough in the morning that the sky was barely lit, and Trini shivers a little at the lack of the sun’s warmth. She closes her eyes for a moment, breathing in the smell of grass and the dewy morning air. She loves Hogwarts, but sometimes the Hufflepuff dorm was too… crowded wasn’t exactly the word for it, but it didn’t always feel right. She always found it ironic that even in a world full of witches, wizards, and magical creatures, she still somehow felt out of place. Taking another clearing breath, Trini mounts the broomstick and kicks off. She lazily circles the pitch, more focused on brooding and enjoying the sunrise than she is on actually flying.

She’s seventeen. In her last year at Hogwarts, and even though she was more or less a loner at school, she still thought of the castle as home, more so than the house her family lived in. While she is excited to be back, she still can’t quiet the anxiety she feels when she thinks about the future. Shaking her head, she leans down and picks up speed, starting to weave patterns around the goalposts. She’d always dreamed of flying as a kid; it was an escape, a chance to get away from the heavy expectations of her parents, the stares and comments from the other kids at school, the bullying, all of the confusing emotions that she always tried to bury. Flying was easier than thinking about the real world, and it was something that Trini always turned to when stressed.

She’s on her third or fourth lap when a sudden shout from across the pitch startles her. She turns to face it and instinctively veers to the left, her reflexes barely bringing her out of the path of a massive object hurtling past at a high speed. It screeches to a stop, using the momentum of the drift to rotate, and Trini realizes that the enormous projectile is in fact a boy on a broom, his black hair mussed in all different directions from his maneuver. He leans one elbow on his broom and raises his eyebrows at her.

“Sup.” She rolls her eyes and resumes her mindless flying patterns, but to her irritation, the boy seems intent on following her.

“That’s not very polite of you,” the boy comments, still lounging lazily on his broom. “You know, usually people say something along the lines of ‘hello’, or ‘hi’, or at the very least a ‘fuck off’.” Trini can’t help the slight twitch of her mouth, and she hopes that he doesn’t see.

Determined to shake him off, she suddenly makes a beeline for the nearest goalpost, spiraling downwards around it before making a break for the other end of the pitch. Her path is blocked once again by the sudden appearance of the boy, and she barely manages to stop in time, coming to a rest with her broom handle just a few feet away from his face.

Once she gets her bearings, she can’t help but be slightly impressed. The boy in her path is currently hanging from his broom by three limbs, his hand pushing hair out of his face, still wearing the same grin.

“I gotta say, you’re pretty damn good, Crazy Girl,” he laughs, before swinging back up into something resembling a standard flying position. “Although I’m just now realizing that I may have come off as a bit of a creep, and that totally wasn’t my intention. I’m just a naturally curious creature, I guess, and you seem like the avoiding type so I figured direct confrontation was my best bet.” He gives her an oddly non-flirtatious wink. “I’m Zack.”

She simply fixes him with a glare before flying to the entrance to the pitch, dismounting and disappearing out of sight. She hears him yell after her.

“Nice talk, Crazy Girl!”

* * *

 

The first week of classes isn’t amazing, but it isn’t terrible either. The coursework is about as difficult as it was last year, and the professors somehow manage to bring up the N.E.W.T. exams at the end of the year every five minutes. Thankfully, Trini is only taking a few classes at N.E.W.T. level, mainly because she has no idea what career she wants to pursue, or if she’s even going to use those qualifications.

The best part was being able to do magic again. Technically speaking, Trini is of age, so there’s nothing stopping her from doing magic outside of school. But things were already tense enough back home between her and her parents without bringing her “ _brujeria_ ” into the mix. Plus, she didn’t want her little brothers to see and start telling their friends that their sister could make things float or bring toys to life, or something equally outrageous.

She blamed her failure to animate a tiny ceramic frog earlier on a lack of practice, but McGonagall had insisted that she figure the spell out before the next class, and Trini had too much respect for the incredibly intimidating and badass woman to dare disappoint her.

Other than that, things had been relatively uneventful. However, she hadn’t gone back to the Quidditch pitch since the day that Zack kid ambushed her. To her extreme chagrin, it turns out that they have Herbology together, as he had been frantically waving and trying to get her attention throughout almost the entire lesson (“Mr. Taylor, if you disturb so much as a single Mandrake, we will all potentially die, so I suggest you keep still.” “Sorry, Professor.”) It was only when Trini very purposefully pointed her hissing Venomous Tentacula in his direction that he backed off.

She sighs, frowning down at the textbook in front of her as if scrunching her eyebrows will make it easier to understand. She’s so accustomed to tuning out sound that she doesn’t realize that someone is trying to talk to her. It’s only when she feels a tap on her shoulder that she starts, looking up.

The boy immediately steps back, jerking his hands away. “I’m so sorry, I know I probably shouldn’t have touched you, that’s kind of rude, but I needed to get your attention. Although, I don’t blame you, I noticed what you were reading—I mean, not in a creepy way, of course! And I haven’t been standing here that long, I swear, it’s only been about twenty seconds or so—”

“Shhhh!” Trini glances around, the boy’s ranting and slightly uncontrolled volume drawing some stares. “Library, remember?”

“Oh! Right.” He bends down, almost comically (Trini curses her short height once more), and resumes speaking in a whisper. “Um, hi. My name’s Billy, Billy Cranston. I mean, technically it’s William, that’s what most of the professors call me, but I prefer when people call me Billy.”

“I know you,” she says. His eyebrows raise in surprise. “We have Potions together, right?”

“Yeah! Yeah, we do, but to be honest, I don’t um, really know you? I mean I do, like, we’ve had classes together, but I- I don’t know what your name is. Your full name, I mean.”

She regards him silently for a moment, deciding that he seems like a relatively harmless person. “Trini,” she says, sticking out her hand. He shakes it, somewhat awkwardly, and the conversation lapses into silence.

“So…” Trini starts, before Billy cuts her off.

“I- I meant to ask, is it alright if I sit there?”

“Sit where?”

“There. Here. Where you’re sitting, I mean.” She blinks. A worried look comes over his face.

“I’m not trying to cause trouble or anything, I swear, it’s just… um, it’s kind of my spot? Like, it doesn’t belong to me personally, of course, but y’know, I always sit there, and…” He trails off, eyes glancing to the side nervously as he fiddles with his blue tie.

To her own surprise, Trini gives him a small smile. “No problem.” She grabs her books, shifting to the next chair.

“Thanks,” Billy says as he takes her seat. He doesn’t say anything else after that, barely even looks up from his work, and Trini finds that it’s actually quite a comfortable silence. He only moves to wave goodbye to her as she leaves to head back to the Hufflepuff common room.

It’s only as she steps into the common room that she realizes she may have accidentally made a friend.

* * *

 

The days pass, and while everything seems to carry on as usual, Trini finds herself gravitating back to the same window-side table every time she visits the library. Billy is always there, giving her an innocent smile that warms her heart. They almost never speak to each other, and while Trini is used to being alone, she finds that being around another person isn’t all that bad.

That is, until she runs into Zack again.

Some sort of sixth sense alerts her to the rapid footsteps heading in her direction, and she quickly picks up speed, rounding the corner to the Grand Staircase as she hears his voice echo down the corridor.

She rushes onto a flight of stairs just as it starts floating away, giving a sigh of relief. She turns to watch Zack come charging around the corner, unable to stop from giving him a smirk and a little wave. His grin just grows wider as he picks up his pace. Her smug look quickly turns to one of shock and horror as, with a grunt, he launches himself after the departing stairs.

Her breath catches, and time seems to slow as the crazy kid soars through the air. He manages to make a wobbly landing, and Trini’s hand automatically launches out to fist in his robes and drag him away from the edge.

“Hah!” he pants, bending over to catch his breath. “Bet you thought I wouldn’t—ah!” Trini smacks the back of his head, launching into a tirade.

“The hell were you thinking?!” She demanded. “What if you hadn’t made that jump, huh? Jesus.” She places a hand over her racing heart for a second.

“It’s not that big of a deal,” he says with a shrug. “The castle would have caught me somehow, and then it’s just a quick visit to Madam Pomfrey and poof, good as new.”

She stares incredulously at him. “Okay, I don’t even want to know how you know that.” She steps off on the next landing, Zack matching her pace.

“I haven’t seen you on the pitch in a while.”

She glares at him, for the first time noticing the red and gold tie hanging haphazardly from his neck. _Of course this crazy kid would be a Gryffindor_ , she thinks to herself, before taking a deep breath and stopping, turning to face him.

“What do you want from me?” she demands.

“Like I said, I’m a curious guy. I saw you flying around the pitch, and I gotta say, you’re actually pretty good.”

She interrupts. “If that’s all you wanted to say, are you gonna leave me alone now?”

He puts his hands in the air, chuckling. “Alright, alright. See you on the pitch, Crazy Girl,” he says as he walks away.

“I have a name,” she says, before the realization hits. “Wait, what? What do you mean?”

Evidently, that was exactly the wrong thing to say. Zack spins around, a satisfied look in his eyes. “I’ve taken a liking to the early morning hours. Starting to look like we might become flying buddies in the near future,” he says with a shit-eating grin. She knows that he’s taunting her, and her eyes narrow.

“Well, you’ll have to pick another time to practice, then, because the pitch is mine in the mornings.”

“Oh really?” He steps forward, and Trini does her best to look intimidating despite having to look up. Even then, she’s glaring more into his chin than his face. “What if I said I was on the Quidditch team, so I should get first dibs?”

“That only applies for booked pitch times. In the mornings, it’s free game,” she retorts.

“Then maybe you should defend your territory,” he challenges. A beat passes.

“Fine.”

“Seriously? Nice!” He pumps a fist in the air, somehow becoming more excited than before. “How are we gonna settle this?”

“You pick.” She pushes past him, ignoring his parting calls.

“We’re gonna have a great time, Crazy Girl!”

She tries to go about the rest of her day as normal, adamantly pushing down the slight anxiety in her stomach. It’s not like she actually cares about what that upstart Gryffindor thinks anyhow. Still, it lingers in the back of her mind, and she fidgets a lot more than usual.

As if that wasn’t enough strangeness for one day, something weird happens in Charms as well. They’re sitting waiting for Professor Flitwick to show up when a quick hush suddenly descends over the room, drawing Trini out of her ruminative thoughts.

She looked over where the others were gazing, her eyes landing on a vaguely familiar looking girl who had just walked in. With a start, she realized that it was none other than Kimberly Hart, top of the class in Transfiguration, Slytherin Quidditch player, and (Trini guessed) probably a total bitch. She reminds Trini of the haughty, little Miss Perfect type that used to bully her when she was younger. She notices that the other girl had cut her hair into a short bob, and even though her posture is relaxed as if to appear calm, Trini could see that she was noticeably trying not to acknowledge the stares and whispers as she walks to an open desk.

 _Whatever,_ she thinks, as she goes back to staring out the window. _It’s not like I care about any of the drama that goes on anyways._

As they file out of the classroom, Trini finds herself roughly pushed to the side. She makes an indignant sound, and she hears a rushed voice say “Sorry,” before she sees Jason Scott chasing after Kimberly, who is already halfway down the hall. “Kim, wait up!” he calls after her, and Trini stops paying attention, focusing on getting back to the common room without getting trampled by some of the more gargantuan students who don’t seem to realize that people shorter than 5’8” exist.

She tosses and turns a bit that night, anticipation making it hard for her to fall asleep. _I’m gonna kick Zack Taylor’s ass_ is the last thought in her mind before she drifts off.

* * *

 

She makes a point to be almost late to the pitch, just to annoy Zack and to make it seem like she doesn’t care all that much about their showdown.

“Lovely day, isn’t it?” Zack calls out when he sees her. She scoffs, hefting the broom in her hands.

“So, how do you want to settle this?”

“With this.” His grin practically splitting his face in half, he raises his clenched fist. Trini is relatively unimpressed at first, but she’s startled when she sees a tiny pair of wings spread from between his fingers.

“You stole a snitch?” she asks, disbelievingly.

He waggles his eyebrows at her. “Don’t underestimate me, Crazy Girl. Here’s the deal: if I win, we get to share the pitch, and you gotta actually try and be nice to be for a bit. Sound fair?”

She meets his eyes confidently. “Fine. But if I win,” she says, raising a finger, “you leave the pitch to me. For the rest of the year.”

“I can live with that,” he says. He opens his hand, and the snitch zooms off into the distance. They both mount their brooms, locking eyes.

“One…”

“Two…”

“Three!”

They launch into the air. Trini’s eyes flicker around the pitch, her mind racing. She’s never officially played Quidditch, never tried to catch the snitch before. She debates letting Zack find it for her, but discards the idea when she remembers that he’s on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and most likely a better flier than her. Instead, she flies higher, hoping the birds-eye view will help her spot the snitch first.

“You’re pretty good.” She whips her head to glare as Zack comes to hover next to her.

“Are you seriously trying to start a conversation with me now?”

“Well, I would go so far as to say that we’re on even ground right now, so to speak.” She rolls her eyes at that. “No, but actually, you’re a decent flyer. Why aren’t you on the Quidditch team.”

“Not my thing,” she responds absentmindedly, eyes straining as she scans the pitch. “Besides, I’m not all that good. I barely know how to play.”

“Well, no offense to your house, but the Hufflepuff team is starting to look kinda desperate.” He leans back defensively at the look she gives him. “Easy, I’m just being honest!”

“Why do you care?” she asks suspiciously. “Doesn’t a weak team make it easier for you?”

His nose scrunches, and he scoffs. “It’s no fun if it isn’t a challenge.”

She rolls her eyes with a sigh, turning back to her search. “Typical Gryffindor.”

“By the way…” and this time, she lets out an exasperated groan. Oddly enough, Zack’s face looks somewhat genuinely intrigued. “What’s your name?”

“Why do you want to know?

“Well, I can’t keep calling you Crazy Girl forever. I mean, unless you’re into that.” He wiggles his eyebrows.

In the peripherals of her vision, something flickers. Zack is too focused on teasing her to notice. She gives him a patronizing smile. “I’m afraid you’ll just have to wait to find out.” Without any warning, she suddenly dives, hearing Zack swear as he sets off a second after her.

As she picks up speed, the snitch gradually comes into focus. It zigzags across the field, and Trini tries to minimize her movement as she tracks it, trying to predict where it will be next. Zack isn’t in her field of vision, and she smirks to herself as she creeps closer and closer to her target.

It’s almost within arm’s reach, and Zack is still nowhere to be seen. Ignoring the mild concern in the back of her mind, she let’s go of the broom with one hand, ready to stretch out and grab the snitch—

A rush of air blows into her face, a blur of color flashes before her eyes, and she instinctively flinches, slowing down ever so slightly. Blinking the water out of her eyes, she’s looking for the snitch when a motion below her catches her attention.

To her fury, Zack had been flying below her the whole time, turning belly-up at the last second to snatch the snitch out of her grasp. He waves it in her face. “I win!” he yells over the wind.

Anger and frustration pulses through her, and her hands tighten to a white-knuckled grip around her broom. She dives down to ground level, hearing Zack’s startled “whoa” as he barrel-rolls out of the way, and promptly dismounts. She hurriedly stomps her way out of the pitch, ignoring Zack’s calls.

As she’s leaving, struggling to blink the tears out of her eyes, she almost bumps into two people heading the way she came from. Looking up, she sees Jason Scott and Kimberly Hart, both in Quidditch gear holding brooms. As if she wasn’t embarrassed enough, Jason’s face becomes slightly worried when he sees her.

“Hey, is everything—”

“I’m fine,” she answers brusquely, clearing her throat. “There’s some crazy guy out there with a stolen snitch. Just in case you were planning on making out, or whatever.” She can’t help the snide comment that slips out automatically.

She notices Kimberly draw in a breath, her eyes darkening dangerously. She opens her mouth, and Trini is _so_ not in the mood for a snark-off with the HBIC, but Jason lays a hand on Kimberly’s arm, giving her a look. With a heavy sigh, Kimberly simply gives her a parting glare before marching off, Jason following after her.

Trini trudges back to the castle, her stomach still tense with shame and her mind buzzing with unwanted thoughts. She ignores her dorm mates’ sleepy greetings as she flings herself facedown on her bed, taking deep breaths as she fights the urge to cry. She decides to skip breakfast.


	2. all that i want is to wake up fine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It turns out that actually talking to people isn't all that bad sometimes. Key word: Sometimes.
> 
> Friendly reminder that our dear Trini is an unreliable narrator, and a very gay mess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> turns out that if you actually take your time and outline, the writing becomes so much longer and better! wow!  
> i was a little eager with the prologue, but this chapter is better, i promise. This was the result of devastating procrastination, and because the more i write the more i fall in love with these kiddos.
> 
> Also, there are some hints at Trini's background here, but I'm not Latinx so idk how well I did.
> 
> (Chapter title is from Hard Times by Paramore)

* * *

 

Trini barely leaves the dorm for the next two days, preferring to sit moodily in the common room as she attempts to finish her assignments. She makes it to all of her classes, but she hardly pays any attention, her thoughts too caught up in replaying the humiliation of that morning. _It_ _’s_ _fine_ , she desperately tries to tell herself, _I_ _’ll_ _just_ _practice_ _somewhere_ _else_ _. Besides_ _, he_ _’s_ _probably_ _forgotten_ _all_ _about_ _it_ _by_ _now_ _._ _Stupid boy._ It feels too forced to be genuine, and her body is tense like it’s stuck in that gut-wrenching moment where Zack swooped up to steal the snitch right from in front of her.

If anyone notices her increased reclusiveness, they don’t mention it. She’s even been skipping meals in the Great Hall, choosing instead to get her food directly from the kitchens. It’s not the first time she’s had an… episode like this, and the house elves are always kind to her. The time when she accidentally mentioned how she found the food “a little flavorless” had been one of the guiltiest moments of her life, as half of the elves had turned their backs while the other half had burst into tears. It was clear that they cared for her though, because after one of her particularly bad nights, she had woken up to a hot plate of _tamales_ on her bedside table. They weren’t perfect, and they certainly tasted nothing like her mother’s cooking, but the gesture was greatly appreciated, and she made sure not to criticize the food anymore.

It’s late morning as she quietly trudges her way up the stairs of the Owl Tower, her footsteps echoing a little too loudly for her liking. She wipes her slightly sweaty palms on her robes, careful not to damage the two letters she is carrying. She smiles a little to herself when she glances at the envelope addressed in playful block script, with little flames doodled in the corners. She loves her brothers, and while they were too young to know that she was a witch, she still sends them vaguely worded letters about school, and how much she misses them. The other envelope is plainly addressed to _Papi_ , and she tries not to look at that one.

When she gets to the top of the stairs, she’s surprised to find Billy there with an owl perched on his arm. His eyes widen slightly when he sees her, but he remains silent as he walks to the window, sending the owl off. Trini awkwardly shifts her weight back and forth as she waits for him to speak.

“Hi Trini!” She’s a bit thrown by the friendly tone in his voice. Rather than being upset, Billy seems quite happy to see her. “How’ve you been?”

It takes her a moment to find her voice. “I’ve been… fine.”

“Good to hear that.” He doesn’t seem to notice the hesitation in her voice. “You know, I was wondering where you’ve been the past two days, because usually you head to the library around half past three or four, but you didn’t show up. I was thinking that maybe you’d gotten tired of me, and like, that’s totally ok if you have, because I know that a lot of people tend to, but it’s still good to see you.” He practically beams at her, and she lets out a breath that she didn’t realize she’d been holding.

“It’s good to see you too, Billy.” She smiles at him, and he claps his hands together softly. “I’m sorry I haven’t been around lately,” she admits. “I haven’t been feeling that good.”

Billy’s face shifts to one of concern. “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Is it a stomachache or something? I’m not too good with healing spells, but I can probably think of a few potions that could help.”

“It’s ok, “ she says as she shakes her head. “I’m feeling better now.”

“That’s good to hear.” He notices the envelopes in her hand. “You’re sending a letter too? Which owl is yours?”

She shrugs. “I don’t have one, I usually just use one of the school owls.”

“Ok.” Billy immediately turns away, looking around the tower rapidly before walking towards the wall and coaxing a barn owl from its perch. “This is Patroclus, he’s my favorite and, in my opinion, the most trustworthy. He’s a pretty consistent flyer. Dionysus is faster, but way less trustworthy. Once, the letter he delivered me was over two weeks old. I’m pretty sure he just likes to go off exploring on his own.” He barely looks at her, still stroking the owl gently.

She smiles fondly at her friend as he tells her about the different school owls. He never really stops talking, even as he helps Trini attach the letters and send Patroclus off. They’re walking back down the tower stairs when he falls silent. She turns to him. “You were saying?”

“Huh? Oh.” He gives her an intrigued stare. “You know, usually people stop me when I go off like that, or they stop listening. I’m pretty sure they find me annoying. But you didn’t say anything.”

She stares forward, watching the stairs as pretense for avoiding eye contact. “Well, if someone tells you to shut up, that doesn’t really make them a good friend, does it?”

“Oh, we’re friends? I mean, I thought we were friends, but I wasn’t sure if you thought so too.”

“Well, it’s a pretty good arrangement. I get a choice spot in the library, you have someone who listens, and I don’t have to talk. If things keep going this way, I’m fine with that.” She doesn’t look, but she hears three little claps from behind her, and she smiles softly.

“Since we’re friends,” Billy begins as they enter the grand staircase, “can I ask you a question?”

“Shoot.”

“Shoot what?”

“Sorry, that’s kind of a muggle thing. I meant, go ahead.”

“Oh, muggle slang! I take muggle studies, and I actually think it’s super interesting, I mean, they have all sorts of contraptions and inventions, the way they see things and view the world is so interesting, and I never even _thought_ about linguistic differences—”

“Uh, Billy? You were gonna ask something?”

“Right, right, yeah. So, since we’re friends, I was wondering if I could ask what’s been bothering you the past few days?”

Just like that, her temporarily good mood is gone, replaced with a mild feeling of illness. “It was just something stupid.” She tries to brush it off, but Billy is looking at her expectantly, and she can’t find the heart to ignore him. She sighs.

“I just… I like to fly in the mornings, sometimes, and I ran into this kid on the pitch, and we kind of got into a showdown over who gets to use the pitch. Anyways, I totally embarrassed myself, he was practically flying circles around me, and I lost, which means I can’t really use the pitch in the mornings.”

He frowns. “Well, why can’t you just share the pitch?”

She hesitates. “I… it’s not that simple. Theoretically, yeah, we could, but I just…” she trails off, not knowing how to explain.

To her immense gratitude, Billy simply nods. “I understand. I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Like I said, not that big of a deal.” They continue their walk to the Great Hall in silence. After a few moments, Billy speaks up.

“You know, I’m also pretty well versed in poisons, too. Might come in handy someday.”

She laughs a little at that, her anxiety briefly sidelined. _Having a friend isn’t all that bad_ , she muses.

* * *

Trini loves everything about magic, but if there was any subject that she would consider a blow-off class, it’s Divination. She’s sure that it’s a respectable and powerful art, but when Professor Trelawney is babbling on about death and disaster, her enormous spectacles practically falling off the edge of her nose, Trini has trouble taking anything she says seriously. She’s also pretty sure that the woman barely looks at their work. Once, she’d written that she had a dream that the moon was her significant other, and Professor Trelawney had launched into an immediate praise of Trini’s “innate connection to the cosmic entities”. There was simply no logical explanation as to how she was still teaching.

“Now, my children,” Trelawney’s voice drops into a dramatic whisper, and half the class smother their giggles. “It is time for you to practice reading the cards yourselves. But beware!” She flings out a hand, and the myriad of charms and bobbles adorning her figure sways, producing a sound similar to an out-of-tune wind chime. “The cards are fickle, and the future even more so. To ensure the least amount of danger, and to minimize any personal distress, you MUST NOT do your own readings. I kindly ask that you find a soul whose aura you trust, and commence the 6-card reading.”

Trini groans under her breath. Partner exercises were the worst, and people inevitably tried to engage in small talk. She resigns herself to waiting until the last unpaired stragglers are left, when a large figure suddenly dumps itself in the seat across from her. She has to stop herself from swearing out loud when she sees that it’s none other than Zack Taylor, currently her least-favorite person in the world.

“Hi,” he greets, with an awkward wave of his hand. She pointedly avoids looking at him. “Sooo… uh, want to be partners?”

“Well, it doesn’t look like you’re going to move any time soon,” she says sardonically, “so I guess we’re stuck with each other.”

“Yeah. Cool.” The room fills with the chatter and giggles of the other students doing ‘readings’, but neither of them speaks.

Zack is the one to break the silence. “I have no idea how to do this, so do you want to do mine first? I promise I won’t blame you if my future’s a mess,” he jokes. With an eye-roll and a heavy sigh, she picks up the tarot deck.

As she mindlessly shuffles and lays out the cards, she wonders what Zack could possibly want. He could just be planning on rubbing his victory in her face, but something seems different about him this time. His usual cocky and careless air is significantly reduced, and he seemed almost sheepish when he first approached her. Laying down the final card, Trini decides to just ride it out and see what happens.

There’s a pause as they both look down at the spread. “So uh, what does this mean?”

She looks up at him, a deadpan expression on her face. “You’re gonna die in three days.”

* * *

As the class ends and the students pack their bags, Zack lingers by their table. “Can we talk?”

She regards him for a moment before reluctantly nodding. They follow the steady stream of students down to the Great Hall. Zack takes a deep breath, running his hand through his hair before he speaks.

“You seemed kind of upset after our match on Tuesday, and I figured that was a normal reaction to have, but then you didn’t show up the next day or the day after. Which, I know, was kind of the terms of our deal, but I didn’t think you’d actually _listen_ to me. I don’t know, you just don’t seem like the kind of person who would back down like that. Anyways, I realized that I might have been kinda pushy, and that I might have hurt your feelings, so I wanted to apologize. And also, I didn’t mean it about the pitch times. We can share, or you can have it, I don’t really care. Whatever suits you.” She remains silent through the whole monologue, and it seems to make him nervous.

“So if you don’t actually care about it, then what was the point?” she asks wryly.

He chuckles. “The point? Well, I genuinely am a curious fellow, and you really are a good flyer. I honestly do think that you’re good enough to be on the team. Plus, you seem really cool, so…”

She forces herself to keep her expression blank as she stares him down. His gaze keeps flickering as if he’s not sure which eye to look at, and she swears she can see him start to sweat a little. Finally, she relents.

“Fine. You’re forgiven.” She hears him breathe a sigh of relief. They walk in silence for a bit before Zack pipes up once more.

“So, are you gonna try out?”

“For what?”

“The Quidditch team, duh.”

“Not my kind of thing.”

“Aw, come on.” He steps in front of her, and the force of her look is so sharp that he actually takes a step back (she feels a little proud of that). “You really should. It’s fun, it’s stress relieving, loads of action.” He winks at the double entendre, and she fights the urge to shove him over. “And its our last year, what do you have to lose?”

She makes a face. “I’ve barely ever played Quidditch, I doubt I’d be able to handle myself in a serious match.”

“It’s not that complicated, it’s actually really easy to learn.” She darts around him, and he catches up to her a few steps later. “Alright alright, how about this: the old members of the Gryffindor team are gonna run some drills tomorrow, maybe a practice match if we’re feeling it. Why don’t you come watch, see the pros in action, huh?”

“You’re reaaally not gonna give up, are you?”

“What can I say,” he says, striking a clearly practiced and over exaggerated pose. “I’m an unstoppable force.”

She debates giving an intentionally vague answer and leaving him to figure it out, but the earnestness on his face is almost overwhelming, and she’s pretty sure that he feels genuinely guilty about beating her. While she isn’t a cruel person, she still decides to leave him hanging until they reach the Great Hall.

“Fine,” she relents, and he gives a small whoop. “Now leave me alone, I wanna get lunch.”

“Sure thing, Crazy Girl.” He starts to walk away before turning back. “And I still don’t have your name.”

She smirks as she heads to the Hufflepuff table. “I’ll tell you later.”

* * *

 After a Charms class where someone had managed to liquefy half the desks, a Potions class that was just barely averted from an explosive disaster, Trini is looking forward to some peace and quiet in the library as she takes her seat across from Billy and lays out her books in front of her. She inhales deeply, taking in the comforting scent of parchment and leather.

She’s staring out the window trying to remember how to deal with fire-breathing creatures when the table shakes. She is suddenly very confused when Jason Scott dumps his bag down on the table next to Billy, his face as red as his house crest.

“Sorry,” he whispers to the other boy, out of breath. He turns, making eye contact with her, and a flash of recognition crosses his face. They blink at each other for a moment before Billy’s voice cuts through.

“Jason!” he says far too loudly, earning them a hush from behind one of the bookcases (Trini isn’t sure if it came from a student or a book). Billy ignores it, looking at Jason with a grin. “How are you? I haven’t seen you in a while. How’s Quidditch? Did you get that bowtruckle scratch treated?”

“Good, good, and yes.” Jason hangs his robe on the back of his chair as he sits down. Trini is completely unsure of what is happening or how to react, or why Gryffindor prefect Jason Scott was sitting down with them. “McGonagall and I finally managed to book the pitch for tryouts, and Hagrid said I could come by sometime in the morning to make up the lesson. Speaking of which, how come they never scratch you?” Trini notices a white bandage wrapped around Jason’s hand as he pulls his things out of his bag.

“It’s easy, you’re just not doing it right,” Billy replies, before noticing Trini’s bewildered look. “Oh yeah, Trini, this is Jason Scott, he’s the Gryffindor prefect and captain of the Quidditch team.” Jason sticks his hand out uncertainly.

“Yeah, I know who he is.” She shakes his hand, turning back to Billy. “How do you guys know each other?”

“Oh, Jason and I have been friends since second year,” Billy rambles, turning back to his textbook. “Some kid knocked over my inkwell, which doesn’t sound that bad, but there’s a specific brand of ink I use when I write my assignments, and that was my last bottle at the time and I really needed to finish my Potions essay. Anyways, Jason gave me his, and that’s how we know each other.”

Billy suddenly stops writing. He frowns at the tip of his quill, and looks into his now-empty inkwell with a sigh. Before he can move, a hand places a bottle of ink in front of him. He and Trini look up at Jason’s sheepish face.

“I got permission to go to Hogsmeade to pick up some quidditch equipment,” he says hesitantly. “I figured it wouldn’t hurt to get you some more, since you always run out.”

“Thanks Jason!” Billy simply refills his inkwell, unaware of the smile on the other boy’s face. Trini rolls her eyes to herself, ignoring the brief defensiveness and jealousy she feels at Billy talking to someone else. _It_ _’s_ _good_ _that_ _he_ _has_ _friends_ _, you_ _should_ _be_ _happy_ _for_ _him_ _._

She turns her attention back to her work, but the environment isn’t quite the same. She’s constantly distracted by Jason whispering questions, and Billy whispering the answers back. A familiar feeling of exclusion begins creeping up her spine.

It’s a change, and not one that she entirely welcomes. For the first time, Billy spends less time on his work and more time answering Jason’s questions. Some of the questions make roll her eyes and wonder how this guy managed to become a prefect, but Billy is a bottomless well of patience and helpfulness. She tries not to feel bitter every time her friend redirects his focus to help Jason, but seeing the two boys interact like she isn’t there starts to make her feel small. She toughs it out for another half hour before mumbling something about meeting someone and heading back to the common room. Billy still waves goodbye to her when she leaves the table though, and that makes her feel a little less insecure.

* * *

 “Well, well, well. Looks like you decided to show up after all.”

Trini is heading up the path to the quidditch pitch when she hears the (unfortunately) familiar voice and rhythmic crunching of gravel coming up behind her. She sighs, mentally preparing herself to deal with the oncoming annoyance.

Zack jogs up next to her, clad in a Gryffindor jersey almost as rumpled as his hair, complete with black fingerless leather gloves. His black broomstick is slung over his shoulder, and that irritatingly cocky expression is back on his face.

“What’s with all the black? I thought you were heading to practice, not a funeral. What are you, twelve?”

“Hey! Just because black isn’t a house color doesn’t mean it isn’t cool.”

“Whatever.”

“You ready to be blown off your feet by our amazing quidditch skills?” She gives him an unimpressed stare.

“As if,” she retorts, sticking a foot out and tripping his stride slightly. “I’m just hoping that one of your teammates will knock your ass off your broom with a bludger.”

He shakes his head, and Trini staggers a little when he flings his arm around her shoulders, putting some weight down. “Oh, ye of little faith. Just you wait.”

“Get off,” she grunts, elbowing him in the ribs. It just makes him laugh, but he lets go of her, and she shoots him another death stare that makes his eyes widen with mild fear.

In the distance they see two more figures, one in a jersey and one in school robes. As they draw closer, Trini sees that it’s Jason and Billy, the former of whom seems to be anxiously rambling, complete with nervous hand gestures.

“Yo!” Zack yells without warning, sprinting forward and leaping onto Jason’s back with a thud. Billy simply watches, but his face breaks into a smile when he sees Trini, and he waves.

“Hey,” he says as she catches up with them, the two Gryffindors still locked in a strange wrestling match. “What are you doing here?”

“I said I didn’t know much about quidditch, so Zack said I could come watch the practice for a bit.”

“Oh, that’s nice,” Billy nods thoughtfully. “Jason was just telling me how they don’t have a full team, so it’s not going to be the most exciting practice. He has some pretty interesting exercises planned, though. I’m interested to see how they turn out.”

She raises her eyebrows in surprise. “Do you play quidditch too, Billy?”

“No, I don’t really have the time. Besides, I don’t like rain.” Trini blinks at the out-of-place statement, but she doesn’t think much of it.

Zack and Jason disentangle themselves at some point on the walk over, choosing instead to talk about tactics and the other house teams. Billy tugs on Trini’s sleeve and points towards a wooden staircase.

“We go that way for the stands.” He waves at the other boys as they part ways. “Bye Jason, bye Zack.”

“Billy, Trini.”

Zack suddenly spins, a wild look of glee on his face. “What did you just say her name was?”

“Aaaand that’s our cue.” Trini grabs Billy’s arm and starts power walking towards the stands. She hears him mumble something along the lines of “let go”, and she releases his arm immediately, giving him an apologetic look. As they ascend, she can dimly hear Zack’s voice hassling Jason.

“No no, what was it? Cici? DeeDee? Come on man…”

She’s been to very few Quidditch matches, and she always forgets just how high up the stands are. Even with the enchantments shortening the climb, she’s still mildly out of breath when they reach the top, and Billy leads her to the seats near where the Gryffindors are practicing.

“So do you watch Jason’s practices often?” she asks, stretching her legs out and propping them on the barrier at the edge of the stands. She spots Zack’s familiar form zooming about haphazardly on his broom, his loud voice echoing behind him. Jason is hovering near the goalposts, shouting directions to the rest of the team.

“Somewhat.” Billy’s eyes seem unusually focused as he stares out. “He asks me to review how his plays look, whether they make sense. It’s always good to have a second opinion, you know?”

They watch the team execute drills, and Billy scribbles some notes on a parchment. Every so often Trini will ask a question about the purpose of a formation, or what a move is called, and Billy will occasionally give his commentary out loud, less for Trini’s benefit and more for his own clarity of thought. As interesting as it is watching them fly, Trini begins to grow a little impatient waiting for something to happen.

Soon enough, Jason flies down and bends over to open a heavy chest. A few seconds later, Trini sees two bludgers fly out, and Jason rises back in the air holding the quaffle. He tosses it to Zack, who heads down to the other side of the pitch.

“Wait, Zack isn’t a seeker?” Her heart sinks a little further, as she remembers how quickly he grabbed the snitch. If she can’t even outpace a chaser, there was no point in even trying for the team.

“Not anymore, he isn’t.” Billy gives her a reassuring smile. “Don’t feel bad about losing to him. Zack is one of the best flyers on the team, and he was a seeker for two years.”

“What happened?”

“Puberty.” There’s a beat, and then she bursts out cackling, and Billy cracks and joins her. Their noise draws some peculiar stares, and Zack’s confused face only makes them laugh harder.

“No, no actually,” Billy gasps, Trini wiping tears from her eyes. “The guy is massive now, but he was absolutely _tiny_ when he was thirteen. I swear, if he turned sideways, he would have disappeared.” The image is so ridiculous that it sends Trini into another wheezing fit.

“ _Please_ tell me he had the same hair.”

“Yes, but it was a lot less stylish back then.”

She takes a few deep breaths, tilting her head back towards the sky. She realizes that it’s been a while since she laughed that hard, much less with a friend. She turns and gives Billy a smile.

“Thanks, Billy.”

He gives her a confused smile in return. “You’re welcome? I didn’t do anything.” She just keeps smiling and turns back to watch.

* * *

 As she gets more and more used to following the plays, she can’t help but agree with Zack; Quidditch was one hell of an exciting sport, and there were only five players on the field. Her eyes widen when she tries to picture what fourteen would look like.

And now that she has the opportunity to actually watch him, she can’t deny that Zack has earned her respect. His flying style might look out of control, but that was just because he had the skill and the guts to pull off all sorts of crazy moves that no one could possibly predict. She lets out a whistle as dodges a bludger with only half a barrel roll, his momentum barely decreasing as he flies upside down.

Trini feels herself leaning forward as Zack draws closer to the goalposts, Jason watching him with a calm focus. Suddenly, Zack tilts to the side, entering a corkscrew, and Trini actually gasps out loud when he lets go of the quaffle to take the shot mid-spin.

The trajectory is off, and Jason barely has to move to bat it out of the way. She hears Billy’s little claps off to the side, as he starts commentating. “Wow, I think Zack’s speed was off, and he definitely overrotated during the shot, but it was pretty accurate for a first try. Jason’s block was incredible though, I mean, the timing was perfect even if the shot wasn’t going to make it in, if it had been on target then he would have been perfectly positioned to defend…”

As Trini watches Jason high-five Zack, she notices that she and Billy aren’t the only spectators there. A female figure is sitting on the other side of the stands, clapping gently. Jason gives her a nod as he flies past. Trini can just barely make out the green trim on her robes, and she makes a noise of disgust.

“What’s she doing here?”

“Who?” She subtly points Billy across the stands, and he squints.

“Her. Kimberly Hart. What business does _she_ have being here?”

Billy shrugs, turning back down to review his notes. “I suppose Jason invited her,” he says with an air of nonchalance. Trini side-eyes him.

“And why would our dear Jason ask the Queen Bee herself to grace us with her presence?”

Billy frowns. “Uh, I… don’t really understand what you mean by that. I mean, she’s just here, I guess.”

Trini notices that Kimberly is watching Jason. Intently. She narrows her eyes in suspicion.

“What’s the connection between them?”

“Oh yeah, Kimberly is Jason’s ex. Ex-girlfriend, I mean. They used to date,” Billy explains.

Trini snorts. “Wow, who would have guessed,” she comments drily.

“Quite a lot of people, actually. It was a big thing in fifth year, but they broke up, of course. They’re still good friends, though.”

“I bet they are,” she mutters, observing the other girl. Kimberly’s gaze is fixed completely on Jason, and she barely even notices the other players.

“Why don’t you like Kimberly?” She starts slightly, blinking to clear her head. Billy is looking at her with a curious expression, and Trini hesitates, wondering how little she could get away with saying in lieu of an answer.

“I’ve just… never gotten along with popular kids.” She frowns, turning her attention back to the pitch. “They never like me, so I don’t see why I should like them. Plus, popularity tends to get to peoples’ heads. They start thinking they’re better than everyone else, just because they’re on a team or they’ve got a pretty face or whatever. Sometimes they need a little bit of humility knocked into them.”

“And that applies to all popular kids?”

“Yup. Every one of them.”

Billy looks towards the goalposts. “But Jason is a pretty popular guy, and you’re nice to him. Well, not exactly nice, but you aren’t mean to him.”

She scoffs. “I’m only nice to Jason because he’s nice to you.” Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Billy smile and look down at his feet for a second.

There’s a thunderous crack, followed by the unmistakable thud of an impact and a pained groan. She searches for the sound and her eyes light upon Zack, clutching his stomach with a pained look on his face as a bludger whizzes off. The player next to him is doubled over laughing his ass off.

Trini stands on the bench and claps as loudly as possible. “Bravo! Bravo!” she yells, and the beater makes a mock bow towards the stands. Zack flips her the finger before flying back into formation.

For some reason, her eyes are drawn back to where Kimberly is seated, and the other girl is staring straight at her, an amused look on her face. Trini freezes momentarily, gritting her teeth at the other girl’s obvious condescension, before pointedly looking away and gathering her things.

“Leaving so soon?” Billy notes.

She tugs her beanie further down as a gust of wind blows through. “Yeah, it’s getting kind of chilly, and I still have some spell practice to do before classes tomorrow. I’ll see you later in the library,” she says as she waves.

She can already feel the headache creeping in, aggravated by the harsh jolt of the stairs. She rubs her temple, squeezing her eyes tight as if that would make the pain go away. As she steps onto the path, she’s suddenly confronted by green robes and a pair of dark, calculating eyes.

They stand in silence as Trini sizes up the girl before her. Kimberly is the model Slytherin, exuding an air of cool collectedness that was practically tangible. Her eyebrows always seem to be half-quirked, as if she didn’t think anything was worth her time. Trini’s fist tightens around the strap of her bag and she straightens, suddenly hyper aware of the height difference between them.

“I’ve never seen you around here before.” Kimberly’s voice is not at all as slippery and heavy as Trini expected. It’s actually quite smooth and soothing, almost hypnotizing in the way it travels through the air. It comes to her awareness that Kimberly doesn’t remember their brief encounter earlier in the week. She has to mentally shake herself back into focus as the girl continues to speak.

“Billy usually sits alone, so I was quite surprised to see that he brought someone with him.” There’s only a slight pause after Kimberly finishes speaking, but it’s enough to make it seem as if she was giving Trini permission to answer. She seethes quietly.

“Life is full of surprises, Hart. Doesn’t explain what you’re doing here. Finished creeping on Jason and decided to go bully some other hapless target?” She notices that Kimberly’s forehead crinkles ever so slightly, and she silently high-fives herself in her head.

“I don’t ‘creep’. Unlike some people, I happen to have a little dignity.” Trini’s eyes narrow and she juts out her chin. “Also, Billy isn’t a hapless target. He’s more than capable of looking out for himself.”

The surprise on her face is painfully evident, from the way that Kimberly smiles and crosses her arms. “Why the face? Like you said, life is full of surprises. Or maybe,” Kimberly takes a step forward. “Maybe, you’re just jealous that he has more friends than just you.” With a final smirk, she sweeps past, leaving Trini positively seething in her wake.

As she stomps her way to the Hufflepuff Common Room, she makes a decision. She’s going to try out for the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, and they’re going to win the Quidditch cup and wipe that smirk off of Kimberly Hart’s face for good. Filled with resolve, she triumphantly claims one of the armchairs near the fire, and promptly deflates when she opens her textbook.

_That_ _’s_ _if_ _I_ _can_ _survive_ _Defence_ _Against_ _the_ _Dark_ _Arts_ , she groans internally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know if the references to Trini being Mexican weren't very good, I'm far from an expert. 
> 
> myndopeus.tumblr.com is where i'm at.


	3. you know you run this show (but you can't run it alone)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trini learns that having friends certainly tends to make life a little more interesting.
> 
> Title from Motions - Naomi Scott

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the wait, guys! i finally, FINALLY got this chapter done. i decided to split my original plan into two chapters so it would flow better. this chapter isn't edited bc i'm really eager to just get this out there, since i haven't updated in a while. anyhow, please enjoy!
> 
> featuring new formatting (wow)

* * *

 

“… and with that, I think we’ll conclude today’s lesson.”

Trini snaps awake at the sound of rustling parchment and stifled yawns, and she subtly leans back and stretches. She rubs the back of her neck regrettably; she hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but it looks the like all the excitement of the past few days was finally catching up to her. After packing up her things and filing out of the classroom with the rest of the students, she glances around quickly, searching for a certain tall, messy-haired Gryffindor. Not-so-gently pushing her way past a thick knot of people, she sees Zack’s familiar figure in the corner of her eye.

“Taylor! Wait up!” she calls, and several people nearby visibly jump in surprise at hearing her raise her voice. She shoots them a look before managing a dignified stride to where Zack is waiting, a self-satisfied smirk on his face.

“You know, I think we’re finally getting somewhere with this friendship, Dee-Dee,” Zack jokes. “I’ve heard that getting your friends to come out of their shell is a positive achievement. We should celebrate.”

“Friendship? That’s awfully optimistic of you,” she chuckles wryly.

Zack chuckles as they begin walking down the hall together. “So what brings little Miss Lone Wolf to my particular corner of the castle, eh? I doubt it’s out of appreciation for my dazzling conversation skills.”

“At least you got one part right. Also, call me ‘little’ again, and I’ll switch your feet for your hands.”

“I’m shaking in my boots,” he replies sarcastically, before pausing. “Wait, you don’t actually know a spell for that, do you? Because if you do, I- ”

“Back to the point,” she interrupts, “I… I decided to try out for the quidditch team.” She steels herself, but still isn’t quite prepared for the raucously jubilant sound that erupts from Zack’s mouth.

“OH YEAH! Aw man, this is gonna be awesome, Crazy Girl! We’ll get to have a rematch, except a proper match this time!” He turns to her eagerly. “So, what are you trying out for? Seeker, I presume?”

She hesitates, briefly reconsidering what she’s about to do. She wonders if it’s too early in their friendship to ask for such a favor, about whether it would make her look foolish or weak. Reminding herself that Zack was the one who encouraged her to try out in the first place, she takes a deep breath and swallows her pride.

“Well,” she begins, “I don’t exactly know which position would fit me best, so I was actually wondering if you could maybe help me practice in the mornings? Just for a bit, so at least I’ll have an idea before try outs.”

“Sick,” Zack nods enthusiastically. “Say, if we grab another person, we could totally try out some chaser plays! Billy’s pretty good, even though he’s not on the team, maybe you could try and convince him to join us too. We’ll have a proper sesh, it’ll be great.” At that Trini groans, burying her face in her hand.

“I’m starting to regret this already,” she mutters, and Zack’s hand claps heavily down on her shoulder.

“Aw, don’t be like that, Fi-Fi,” he says playfully as he shakes her shoulder. “It’s gonna be awesome.”

She shoves into him with her shoulder, and it’s about as effective as trying to body check a padded brick wall. “Whatever,” she grumbles. “And my name’s not Fi-Fi. It’s Trini.”

“Eyyy, what did I tell you? Our friendship is already beginning to blossom.” He waves at her as he turns down the corner, and she shakes her head in exasperation before heading off on her own.

To her surprise and mild dismay, when she gets to the library, she sees that Jason is at the table, with Billy nowhere in sight. She preoccupies herself by wandering through the stacks pretending to look for a book, while mentally debating whether or not to find another spot. She doesn’t bear Jason any ill will, but the prospect of sitting there without Billy to act as a buffer is uncomfortable.

It’s only when the books start strategically timing themselves to drop on her head that she realizes she’s been walking in circles. With a muted resigned groan, she walks back to her usual spot.

“Hey.” Jason greets her with a nod as she sits down, and she smiles awkwardly in return.

She tries to focus on her essay, but for some reason the silence is almost cringe-worthy, and it’s making it impossible for her to focus. At one point, she looks up and catches Jason glancing at her before he hurriedly turns back to his work. After several agonizing minutes, Trini decides that the tension is unbearable.

“So where’s Billy?” Jason blinks confusedly when she speaks, and she winces internally.

“Oh, Billy’s probably out in the greenhouses or something. He has a lot of personal projects that he likes to work on.”

“Like what?” Trini asks interestedly.

“Something about cross-breeding plants, I think?” Jason shakes his head. “You’d have to ask him yourself. He’s tried explaining them to me, but I honestly don’t understand any of it. It’s amazing, the amount of stuff that guy knows.”

Trini nods, and she notices a slight movement in her peripheral vision. One of the reference books scattered on the table is slowly shuffling its way towards Jason, who doesn’t seem to notice. As it inches closer, she sees it start to open slightly, and she tries to warn him.

“Watch out –”

She’s a second too late, as the book clamps shut on Jason’s fingers. He lets out a yelp and vigorously shakes his arm, flinging the book off. It tumbles off the edge of the table, and Trini instinctively lifts her feet off the ground to protect them.

“Son of a _fuck_ ,” Jason hisses, and he looks at Trini when she makes an amused noise. “Really? That’s funny to you?”

“Gryffindor’s golden boy, swearing like a sailor. Such scandal.” She smiles to show that she’s poking fun at him. “And in my defense, I did try to warn you.”

“You could’ve done it sooner,” he grumbles, and she just smirks. “Aw, damn.” She looks at his hand and realizes that it still has a bandage on it that was now spotting red.

Jason holds his hand in the air while shuffling through his papers in search of his wand. It isn’t the most dignified position, and Trini feels like he’s suffered enough at this point.

“ _Episkey_.” She waves her wand, and Jason gives her a grateful look.

He pinches his hand gingerly. “I think that stopped the bleeding, but I’ll probably need to change the bandage anyhow. Thanks.”

She shrugs. “Didn’t want you bleeding all over the table.”

The sound of footsteps floats over, and Trini turns, expecting Billy to start rattling off a story interspersed with apologies. She stops short when she realizes that it’s not him. Instead, it’s Kimberly Hart. The sleeves of her jumper are rolled up, and she’s walking towards them with a book in her hand.

Jason sits up. “Hey Kim,” he says, and Trini holds back a scoff. _What a cliché_.

Kimberly raises an eyebrow at Jason, the corners of her mouth turning up into a small smile. She waves the book in the air.

“I’m guessing this is yours.”

“Thanks.” He reaches out slowly, carefully taking the book from her. “That thing’s got a pretty mean bite. How did you manage to catch it?”

Kimberly shrugs. “It’s pretty easy. They have a lot of snapping power, but they can’t really open themselves.”

“Kind of like a crocodile.” The words leave Trini’s mouth, and she feels her face flush as the others turn to look at her. She coughs and averts her gaze, feeling mortified.

“Actually, yeah. Exactly like a crocodile.” She’s startled at the acknowledgement and she looks back up, but Kimberly is already walking away.

“I’ll see you later, Jace,” she says over her shoulder, her hair waving through the air slightly as she disappears behind a bookcase. Trini finds herself wondering how Kimberly even found them, if she knew that Jason and Billy used this spot. She wonders whether, if she stays here, she’ll be seeing more of Kimberly Hart in the future.

“…Trini?”

She blinks. “Hm, yeah?”

Jason regards her. “You just had like, a spacey look on your face, is all.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m good.”

Jason nods. “Well. That was Kim, she’s a friend.”

“I know who Kimberly Hart is, Jason. And Billy told me everything.”

At that, Jason suddenly becomes more alert, a concerned look on his face. “What do you mean ‘told you everything’?” he asks, a slight edge to his voice.

She tenses, mentally cycling through everything she said to find what might have set him off. “Um, just that you and her used to date a few years ago, but that you’re ‘good friends’ or something.” She throws up air quotes, and Jason relaxes.

“Oh. That. Yeah.”

_Well that’s certainly interesting_ , she thinks. She’s definitely curious about Jason’s reaction, but she also knows better than to go poking into other people’s business, so she doesn’t ask, and simply turns back to her work.

* * *

The following hours are relatively uneventful. After leaving her books in her dorm, she heads down to the Great Hall, a little late for dinner. She catches Billy outside, leaves clinging to his sleeves and some dirt smudged on his face. They don’t have much time to chat, but he cheerfully agrees to meet her and Zack on the pitch in the morning.

After dinner, Trini doesn’t quite feel like her head is in the right space to continue working, so she decides to walk around the castle a bit. She doesn’t have a particular destination in mind; she just enjoys watching the hallways pass, taking in all the little signs of magic that linger in every corner of the castle.

It’s not quite curfew yet, so many of the older students have the same idea as her. She hears snippets of conversations as she walks by, but none of them seem to notice her. She’s perfected the art of blending into the background—less trouble that way.

“… understand why he hangs out with that Cranston kid.”

Trini slows her walk when she hears Billy being mentioned. She surreptitiously inches closer, her curiousity getting the better of her.

“Let’s be honest, Jason is already a prefect and captain of the quidditch team. People love him, he doesn’t need to hang out with that charity case anymore. And I hear he watches their practices, which is so creepy.”

Trini bristles at that. The source of conversation is a Gryffindor boy talking to a Ravenclaw girl, who is nodding in agreement.

“I know what you mean. And he’s honestly so annoying? It’s bad enough that our house has a stereotype of being obsessive; people like him just make it worse. He’s so… weird. It would be better if he could just act _normal_.”

The tone of disgust in the girl’s tone is what makes Trini decide to confront them. She couldn’t understand how someone could talk about a member of their own house like that.

“How do you define ‘normal’?” she says, catching their attention as she strides towards them. “Is it ‘normal’ to shit-talk people behind their backs? Because I gotta say, if that’s what you think, you’ve got some pretty effed up standards.”

She can practically feel the aura of superiority oozing off of the pair as they regard her. “Have you ever heard of minding your own business?” the girl jabs.

“Only as much as you’ve heard of basic human decency.” That earns her a glare, and the Gryffindor boy steps forward.

“You got a problem with us? Because I’m pretty sure we weren’t talking about you.” He holds himself with more bravado than he actually has, and she rolls her eyes.

“No shit, uh… what’s your name? Actually, I don’t care.” She sees his face twitch, and she smiles on the inside. “And I do have a problem with the way you’re talking about my friend.”

Both of the bullies snort. “Wait,” the girl gasps out. “You’re actually friends with that guy? Yeah, and I’m a crumple-horned snorkack. That guy doesn’t have friends, you don’t have to be noble about it.”

She clenches her fist. “I’m not joking,” she grits out.

“Oh, and I’m sooo scared,” the boy mocks. “So what, you’re gonna stop us?”

“You know what they say: talk shit, get hit.” Her voice is calmer than she expects.

The Gryffindor sneers in her face. “Why do you even care? What is he, your boyfriend? That would be fitting, wouldn’t it, the freak dating another freak.” He turns to his friend and they laugh.

She’s usually not bothered when people try and insult her, but something about that comment makes her stomach twist. Hearing Billy referred to that way makes her jaw clench and her heart start to pound, and she acts before she can think.

The boy is in the middle of opening his mouth when she rears back and sinks her fist into his stomach.

He doubles over with a wheeze, and Trini backs up out of reach. She hears the boy’s friend swear, sees her reach into her robes, and Trini quickly whips out her own wand.

“ _Langlock!”_ She points her wand, and the Ravenclaw chokes slightly, grabbing at her throat.

Her gaze turns back to her first target, and he’s clutching his stomach and absolutely seething. He raises his arm, and she instinctively dives towards the floor.

A jet of water shoots past her, hitting the wall with audible force. She hears shrieks and yells as the spray catches some of the bystanders.

She’s rising to her feet when a light flashes and she feels a stinging sensation hit her arm, knocking her down. She waves her arm in the direction of the hex, sending out a Disarming Charm, and she hears a grunt as her spell hits.

Suddenly, a magical shield is conjured, so strong that Trini is pushed back slightly. _Shit_. She scrambles to her feet, wincing and tenderly holding her swelling arm. Footsteps approach, and they all face the man who stopped their… confrontation.

“You’d better have a good reason for causing this much noise so late into the night.” He glares at them, but the look is made less intimidating by the fragile glasses that are sitting askew on his face. Still, the disappointment that radiates off of him is enough to make Trini avert her eyes and look at the floor instead.

The Ravenclaw girl makes a noise, gesturing to her mouth, and the man waves his wand, dispelling the jinx.

“She started it.” Trini meets the accusing stare boldly, and the other girl looks away. “She literally threw the first punch, we were acting in self defense.”

“Well, I was just reacting to you and your friend over here running your mouths.”

“If you hadn’t been sticking your nose in—”

“That’s enough!” They fall silent as the man sighs heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Would either of you care to elaborate on what exactly you said that provoked Miss Gomez?”

Trini smirks to herself as they suddenly become much more reserved, mumbling vague answers back.

“That’s what I thought. Considering the amount of general disruption, particularly with regards to the hour of night, I’m taking ten house points from each of you.” He pauses. “Also detention. That seems fair.”

They all groan a little, but hush themselves when the man raises an eyebrow. “Sorry, Professor.”

He nods. “Off to the dorms with you. Except you, Miss Gomez,” he says, and Trini freezes. They wait quietly as the other students vacate the area.

Once the hallway is empty, he shakes his head. “Merlin, I have no idea how McGonagall put up with teaching for so many years.” He runs his hand through long, unruly hair, and she catches a glimpse of his forehead, and the legendary mark there.

“So,” Professor Potter continues. “Since neither of those two troublemakers wanted to give me a straight answer, would you care to comment on what just happened?”

She’s glad that Potter was the one who caught them, because at least now she has a chance of explaining herself. “They were saying things about Billy Cranston, and I tried to stop them.”

“I see.” He nods. “And did you really throw the first punch?”

At that, she feels slightly embarrassed. “I didn’t hit him in the face,” she says.

There’s a pause. Then, to her relief, he chuckles.

“Well, I can’t say that I never did things like this when I was in school. Still, as much of a pain as rules can be, they are there for a reason, and there are consequences for being caught breaking them.”

“Yes, sir.” She meets his eyes, and notices the small glint in his eyes.

“Bear in mind that there may or may not be any significance to the wording of ‘being caught’ breaking the rules. And if I may comment? The Bat-Bogey Hex is quite useful for intimidation purposes, if that’s what you’re going for. My wife was quite fond of it in our day.” He chuckles to himself, then winces. “God, I’m getting old, aren’t I. Well, good night, Miss Gomez. Be sure to get that arm looked at before you go to bed, the swelling can be a bitch in the morning.”

She smiles. “Good night, professor.” He walks off, and she stands for a moment in the empty hallway, taking in the silence before heading back to the Hufflepuff common room.

* * *

She fidgets as Zack and Billy stand in front of her, smiling. “So, how are we going to do this?”

“Don’t look at me for ideas, I just came to play quidditch,” Zack says, ruffling his hair and making his bedhead somehow worse.

Luckily, Billy seems to have come up with a semblance of a plan. “I was thinking that, now that you have people to practice with, it’d be good to have you try out all of the positions, since you said you’ve never really played before. I managed to talk Jason into letting us borrow some of the equipment.” He gestures to the large metal chest sitting to the side.

She nods. “In that case, let’s get started, I guess?” They all nod awkwardly for a second before Zack finally moves, launching into the air. The others follow.

They spend a bit of time just flying about to get warmed up. Zack starts practicing his usual tricks, almost causing a three-way pileup in midair at one point. Billy has a much more controlled style of flying, but he’s clearly still having fun. He notices her watching, and Trini almost feels embarrassed for a second, but Billy doesn’t seem to mind.

“Flying feels _really_ _nice_ ,” he giggles as he whooshes past, and Trini is taken aback by the sudden warmth that she feels in her chest.

Eventually, they get round to training. Billy starts rattling off dozens of rules, facts, and statistics as he opens the chest, and Trini starts to feel her head spin a little.

“Slow down, my guy,” she chuckles, and Billy stops, grinning sheepishly. “Trust me, I’m super interested, but it is way too early in the morning for me to understand more than three sentences at a time.

“Right, sorry. Um… so let’s just start with the quaffle. Pretty basic stuff, just remember that the ball is enchanted, so it falls slower than you think.”

It turns out that the three of them work quite nicely as a squad, although Trini doesn’t think she can be a Chaser; unfortunately, the quaffle is a tad too large for her hands, so she can’t throw it very far or very accurately. Being a Keeper is an even worse idea, since her attempt at blocking Zack’s shot just ended up sending her through the hoop as well (Billy was concerned, but Zack wouldn’t stop laughing).

Billy is hesitant about bringing out the bludgers without supervision, but Zack just tosses her a bat and winks before letting one out. She’s pleasantly surprised to find that hitting a bludger is quite fun and stress relieving, and she sends it in Zack’s direction as revenge. They manage to get it back under control without anyone getting hurt, but she and Zack feel a littly guilty at Billy’s chastisement.

“And we already know you’re a pretty good Seeker, so we don’t have to walk you through that,” Zack says.

Rather than feeling a flood of embarrassment at the memory, she just smirks at him. “So you’re not up for a rematch, then. Afraid I’ll beat you?”

His eyes light up, and he’s about to respond when someone calls to them from down the pitch.

“Jason!” Billy practically runs across the pitch, and Trini is once again baffled by how so much good can exist in one person. Billy is chattering animatedly at Jason, who is doing his best to look involved while rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. There’s also another figure that Billy waves out to, and Trini sighs when she realizes who it is.

“And we’re _sure_ there’s nothing going on there?” Trini grumbles, and Zack follows her gaze.

“What, you mean Billy and Jason? Or Jason and Kim?”

“The latter, come on. Billy and Jason are Billy and Jason.” She looks back to see Billy talking to Kimberly now, who looks a lot more awake and put together than the rest of them.

Zack ponders them for a second. “I don’t think so? As far as I know, they’re just pretty good friends.”

Trini frowns. “Yeah, I mean, I get _that_ , but she literally keeps turning up. I saw her at your quidditch practice, and then in the library yesterday, and now this. It’s just… weird.”

Zack shrugs. “I mean, I guess it’s just because you’ve been hanging out with Billy, and Billy loves Jason and Kim.”

“Billy is a pure soul.”

“Agreed.”

Billy waves as he and the others approach. “Look guys, Jason and Kim are here!”

Zack shares a high-five with Jason, and Trini gives him a little nod. As her eyes drift, she suddenly makes eye contact with Kimberly, and she involuntarily tenses. To her surprise, Kimberly offers her a polite smile, one that isn’t tinged with disdain or superiority that Trini is used to. Trini feels her ears start to heat up a little, and unsure how to respond, she just looks down, scuffing the grass a little with her toe.

“Do you guys mind if we share the pitch?” Jason asks. “Kim and I want to practice some drills.”

Billy nods, a tiny frown forming on his face. “Sure. I mean, I did have some things I wanted to try out with Trini and Zack that involve using the whole pitch, but like, we can skip those for today, I guess.”

The sun shines on Trini’s face, and she lifts a hand to shade her eyes. She blinks rapidly when she realizes how bright it is out, checking her watch.

“Shit,” she mutters, drawing the attention of everyone else. “I uh, I have an essay that I was gonna finish before class, so I have to head off. I’ll… see you guys later I guess?”

It seems a weird thing to say to a group of people she just met a few days ago, but they all wave her off as she heads back to the castle. Once she’s back in her room, she sort of just stands there for a few minutes wondering whether the whole thing had been an elaborate dream. There was something about that morning that had felt so… surreal. Putting the feeling out of her mind, she sat at her desk and tried to scramble out the last paragraphs of her essay before heading to class.

* * *

As much as she enjoyed the early morning training with Billy and Zack, she’s realizing that decision is slowly taking its toll on her. By the time she finishes her last class of the day, she’s struggling to keep her eyes open. She’s about to head back to her dorm for a nap when she remembers that Professor Potter gave her detention. With a long groan, she sets out towards the castle grounds.

She was told to meet the gamekeeper Hagrid for detention, and she feels mixed emotions. On the one hand, Hagrid was a lovely and gentle old man, and she would rather do menial tasks in the grounds than have to sit in the dungeons for several hours. On the other hand, she had heard many tales of how… unorthodox Hagrid’s detention sessions tend to be.

She sees his huge figure bending over in the gardens as she approaches. He catches sight of her as he straightens up, and he gives her a wave that looks more like he’s signaling an aircraft than a greeting.

“All right there, Trini?” he calls out in a booming voice, and she smiles softly and nods. “Brillian’. Well now, if you’ll jus’ follow me, we’ll go and meet up with the others then.” He grunts as he carefully makes his way out of the garden, and she trails behind him quietly.

“Oof. Looks like my legs ain’t quite what they used to be,” he says in a slightly labored voice as they make their way up an incline. He scratches his graying beard. “Guess I’m getting’ up there in terms of age, eh? There’s some out there, probably think that the groundskeeper should be a little more… spry, as it were. But I’ve spent most of my life carin’ for this castle, and they’re bloody well not goin’ ter kick me out now, are they?”

Trini laughs at that. “I would hope not. Everyone would be sad to see you go,” she says, and Hagrid looks down to give her a bashful smile.

“That’s quite kind of ye, Miss Gomez.”

She relaxes more and more as they walk, taking time to enjoy the sun and the grounds. Hagrid doesn’t expect her to say much in terms of conversation, carrying most it on his own with little stories. Trini is suddenly reminded of Billy, and how similar the two are, and she feels that peculiar sensation in her chest again.

“So ‘arry’s the one who sent ye, I see. Huh, imagine the look on my face the first time some kid showed up claiming a ‘Professor Potter’ sent ‘em. Y’know, I remember the first time this ‘Professor Potter’ showed up outside my hut for detention! He was a wee little thing, back then, and look at ‘im now. All grown into a man, and sendin’ kids off to detention. ‘Course, I don’ see ‘im like that at all. Ta me, he’s still the same little tyke that used ta go running through the castle with that invisibility cloak of ‘is.”

Trini does a double take. “Wait, so it is true? He actually does have one?”

Hagrid winces. “Ah, I shouldn’t ‘ave told ye that. Just keep it between you an’ me, eh?” She laughs, crossing her heart as she promises.

It turns out that there are two other people sharing detention with her, and when she realizes that she knows both of them, she feels slightly relieved, and then suspiciously uncomfortable all over again.

“Trini!” Billy claps his hands when he sees her, and she waves off the emotional whiplash.

“Hey. Surprised to see you here.” She’s responding to Billy, but the message is slightly directed to both of the other students.

“I was experimenting in the potions room in my free time, and I accidentally exploded three cauldrons in a row.” Billy shrugs.

“That’s a story I want to hear later,” she laughs, smiling at him.

There’s a slight pause before she nods at the other girl. “Kimberly,” she mumbles awkwardly.

“Trini.” Once again, Kimberly’s voice surprises her with its softness. She’s also impressed that the other girl even bothered to remember her name.

“Oh great! You all know each other, then.” She jumps slightly, remembering that Hagrid is standing next to her. They all turn to face him.

“So the good news is, you’ll all get a chance to walk about the grounds a bit today! No keeping you locked up in some dingy ol’ classroom. What’s happened is, some of the fifth years, an’ I won’t say any names, decided it would be a good idea to let some of the Blast-Ended Skrewts out the other day, so you three’ll be helping me track ‘em down and get ‘em back in their pen.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Billy make a face, while Kimberly just closes her eyes and heaves a heavy sigh. She realizes that Hagrid is still talking, and she listens.

“Now, trackin’ down these buggers can be a bit dangerous, but yer all old enough to handle it. Feel free to work as a group or by yourselves, although I wouldn’t recommend it, you might run into a load of them an’ then you’d be in trouble. When you find ‘em, just bring ‘em back to my hut an’ I’ll take care of the rest. Good luck!” With that, Hagrid lumbers back up the path, leaving the students behind.

Kimberly is the one to break the silence after Hagrid leaves. “So I think we should probably work toge—aaand he’s gone.” Trini turns and sees that Billy is already heading towards the greenhouses with a rather brisk pace.

“He’s probably just making sure that the skrewts didn’t mess up his herbology experiment,” Trini says.

“That’s fair. So I guess it’s just you and me? Unless you’d rather work alone as well.”

Trini briefly debates doing her own thing, but she’d rather suffer through the awkwardness and not get mauled by a skrewt. “We can work together.”

“Good.”

Trini silently prays that they run into a whole horde so she can get this over with as soon as possible.

* * *

As it turns out, neither of them really know how to find a blast-ended skrewt, besides the obvious signs of burned foliage. After about an hour of anxiety and wandering about, they’ve only managed to find one, and it nearly burned a whole tree down before they managed to flip it over and immobilize it.

“How many more of these do we have to find,” Trini groans as they hand the restrained creature over to Hagrid, who easily cradles it with one hand.

“Oh not that many more, actually. Billy’s gotten three of ‘em already, so its just a few more.”

“Sometimes I wonder how he does it,” Kimberly sighs.

Hagrid chuckles. “He’s got a way with the creatures, a boy after me own heart. If anyone were to replace me, I’d want it to be him, but he’s got big plans ahead of ‘im, that one does.” He offers both of them some water before sending them back out.

“It’s nice to know that appreciation for Billy Cranston is pretty common,” Trini says while they’re carefully combing through some bushes.

The edges of Kimberly’s lips twitch up in a half-smile. “You’d think so, but there are still some assholes out there who think otherwise.”

“Oh believe me, I know.” Kimberly gives her a questioning look. “I’m in here because I kind of got into a fight with some of those assholes. Didn’t get a chance to really have a go at them, but hopefully they won’t forget it anytime soon.”

“Really? I’d ask if it was a fair fight, but I think it’s safe to assume that they had a height advantage,” Kimberly jokes breezily, and Trini scoffs.

“Wow, Hart. Real original.”

They search in silence for a few minutes before Trini asks, “So what are you in for?”

She notices the way Kimberly tenses, and she almost wishes she didn’t ask. She replies after a moment. “I punched a guy’s tooth out.”

“Wow.” Trini blinks. “Totally didn’t take you for the fisticuffs type, but props to you, I guess.”

“Thanks, I guess?”

There’s a sudden rustling, and both of them whirl around, wands at the ready to defend themselves. They’re greeted with the sight of a very frightened Billy holding his hands up.

“It’s just me!”

They all relax, and Trini places a hand over her racing heart. “Thank god, I was wondering what happened to you.”

“Guys, guys. Shh.” Kimberly hushes them, and Trini can hear a faint rustling to their right. She meets Kim’s eyes, and they both nod before creeping forward.

“Wait, what? What are you guys gonna do?” She turns back to Billy, mouthing _one second_ , before turning back to the source of the noise. The movement seems to be confined to a single spot in the bushes, and Trini waits until it stops moving before quickly pointing her wand, whisper-shouting “ _Flipendo!_ ”

The spell hits, and she waits for the familiar squeal of the blast-ended skrewt, but it never comes. Instead, there’s a buzzing and chattering noise that grows persistently louder.

“Oh dear,” she hears Billy say, and when she turns around he’s already dashing off into the distance.

“Wha-“

“Oh shit!” Kimberly cries out, and she grabs Trini’s arm, taking off into a run and dragging her along. Trini stumbles, turning her head back to look, and her stomach drops when she sees a horde of doxies rising out of the foliage.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” she chants as she and Kimberly sprint through the grounds, the pixies in hot pursuit. Trini has no idea how to deal with this particular problem, and she realizes that might possibly be genuinely screwed.

“This way!” Kimberly grabs her arm again, pulling her off to the side. She’s breathing heavily now, and her heart is racing, the sound of a multitude of wings spurring her on.

Her eyes widen, and she skids to a stop when she sees that they’ve reached an outcropping that drops off into the lake. She frantically looks around, but the doxies are closing in on them, and there doesn’t seem to be any escape route. “It’s a dead end,” she says.

Kimberly is staring at the approaching swarm, biting her lip in concentration. Then, she turns to Trini. “I’m really sorry.”

Trini frowns. “Sorry about what?” She barely finishes her sentence before Kimberly promptly pulls her close, wrapping her arms around her before throwing them both over the edge.

The scream has barely left her mouth when they hit the water, and her breath is knocked out by the impact. She feels her soaked robes begin to drag her down, Kimberly’s arms are still wrapped tightly around her, and she tries push down the rising panic in her chest. She quickly realizes that she has no air in her lungs, and she tries to swim to the surface, but she’s still pinned to Kimberly, and her chest is beginning to ache. She begins to thrash, and Kimberly lets go of her, but she keeps a tight hold on Trini’s sleeve.

Suddenly, the water around her face shimmers, and she realizes that Kimberly has cast Bubble charms on them both. She takes several desperate breaths, squinting through the water and trying to send her most furious glare. The other girl points up, and they look past the surface of the water. There are several flickering shadows, and they wait for a few minutes until the coast looks clear before surfacing.

Trimberly sputters as the bubbling charm disappates. “What. The. Fuck.” She snarls. “A little warning would have been nice, maybe?”

“Well I’m sorry I didn’t take the time to explain when we were literally about to be eaten by doxies,” Kimberly bites back. Trini just scoffs and starts swimming to the shore (and she might splash Kimberly a little more than necessary).

It’s when they reach the shore that Trini realizes that her beanie got knocked off during their little swim. She sluggishly turns back to the lake, wand out, and then hesitates.

“What is it?”

“I lost my hat in the lake, and I was going to try and get it back, but… I have no idea what else will come out if I try and summon it.”

Kimberly looks out towards the water and shudders. “Yeah, that’s probably not a good idea.”

Trini side-eyes the other girl. “You owe me a new hat.”

She wasn’t sure if she meant it in a bitter way, but Kimberly certainly doesn’t take it like that. Instead, she smirks. “Alright then.”

She’s saved from trying to come up with a response when she hears Billy calling out to them from uphill. He and Hagrid are both waiting when they reach the top.

“Pretty clever thinking, going underwater. Doxies have really bad eyesight, and also they can’t swim,” Billy says as the girls cast drying charms on themselves, their teeth chattering.

“Yeah,” Trini weakly replies. “It would have been more impressive if someone didn’t decide to just throw us off a cliff.”

Kimberly rolls her eyes. “Well we’re all fine now, I don’t see what the problem is.”

“That was a mighty dangerous situation you got yourselves in, there,” Hagrid says, rubbing his beard worriedly. “Good thing Billy and I managed to nab the last of the skrewts while we were looking for you. Come along now, we’ll ‘ave a nice cuppa to warm you up.”

They’re all quite tired, so the walk back to Hagrid’s hut is relatively silent. They stay for tea, which takes longer than Trini expects, due to the cups being about the size of small bowls. After they finish, they say their goodbyes and head back to the castle.

“That was way more trouble than it should have been,” Trini groans as they walk through the main entrance. “And while I’ve always wanted to try swimming in the lake, that was _not_ the way I wanted to go about it.”

“You’re never gonna let this go, are you? Or do I need to remind you who exactly was the one to knock over a doxy nest?”

“Right, as if you weren’t about to do the exact same thing—”

“So I’ll see you guys later then,” Billy interjects. She realizes that they’ve reached the stairs, and that they’re all headed in different directions.

“Right, yeah.” She shakes her head groggily. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Billy. Bye, Hart.”

“Bye, Gomez,” Kimberly says, mimicking her tone. Trini just grumbles under her breath while heading to the Hufflepuff dorms.

She gets some strange looks when she enters the common room, but her expression must have been tired and grumpy enough that no one dared to talk to her. She trudges up the stairs, barely managing to change out of her filthy robes before flopping down on her bed. The exhaustion sinks in, and soon she’s drifting off to sleep.


	4. initiation day (i can hear the bells)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trini and Zack find out they have more in common than just quidditch, and Hufflepuff tryouts are really interesting.
> 
> Chapter title from Hear the Bells - Naomi Scott

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no update schedule, no editing, we disappoint our readers like men.
> 
> seriously guys, i'm so sorry. i know it's been almost a month since i last updated, but school stuff happened, and i had to really organize my priorities for a few weeks. fortunately, i only have one more week of term left, and then i'll have plenty of free time to write and do nothing.
> 
> sidenote, the songs i name the chapters after are usually tangentially related to the chapter. they're not necessary, but listening to the songs might enhance your reading experience a bit. just a thought.
> 
> further note, idk if this was clear, but i've taken some liberties with hogwarts classes and some other stuff. hopefully it won't interfere with the readability of this fic, but if you're a hardcore hp fan, feel free to point things out to me.

* * *

 

Trini turns and watches the early blue light of the morning creep through the window. She rubs groggily at her eyes, looking at her clock again, watching the second hand tick past. It reads 6:07. _One of those days, I guess_.

She quietly gets out of bed and gets dressed, careful not to wake any of the other girls. She decides that sitting in the common room trying to work would probably make her feel even worse, so she tiredly creeps quietly out, hoping that the castle doors won’t be locked.

Luckily enough, they aren’t, and she steps out, the dewy morning air cooling her skin. She shivers a little, wraps her robes tighter around herself, and starts walking. She’s not really thinking about where she’s going, just focused on putting one foot in front of the other, hoping the rhythm will drown out the thoughts in her head. When she finally pays attention to her surroundings, she’s somehow ended up near the lake. The memory of that day in detention surfaces, and she suddenly feels a little more awake.

The castle looks strangely blue in the light, much like how Trini is feeling. The cloudy sky filters the sunlight that reflects off of the lake. Even the green grass looks strangely grey. She chalks it up to her shitty mood and walks, keeping a wary eye out for doxies.

She practically jumps out of her skin when a blurry shape darts across her path. She fumbles with her wand, her mind completely blanking on spells. Luckily, the animal isn’t one of ill intent, just a rabbit. She places a hand over her racing heart, breathing heavily. Suddenly, a _much_ larger shape swerves out from behind a tree, and she yelps. The figure stumbles back in surprise, letting out a similar yell, and she realizes she recognizes the messy black hair.

“The fuck, Taylor?”

“Trini?” His face crinkles in confusion, before shaking his head. “Whatever, one sec,” he says, running past her.

She turns, confused and mildly offended, to see Zack cast out a barrier charm. The sprinting rabbit collides with the spell with a mildly audible thump, bouncing off and immediately dashing in another direction. Zack sends out another spell that hits the grass, missing its target. After a few more missed shots, he swears to himself before simply diving at the animal and grabbing it. He skids a few feet before getting up, the rabbit in his hands.

“Son of a bitch. Anyhow, what are you doing here? Aren’t you usually on the pitch around this time?”

She simply stares at him as he tries to restart the conversation. “So we’re not gonna address how you were just chasing a rabbit?”

“Transfiguration assignment.”

“There must be some sort of law out there on manhandling animals. Even if it’s for school purposes.”

“Oh, no need to worry about this guy. I’m supposed to be turning him back _into_ a statue.”

Trini hums in sympathy. “Reversing transformations is really weird, I still haven’t got the hang of it.”

“Yeah, I’m still figuring it out too. Really have to work on it though, because it’s a bit early in the year for me to be falling behind in class, especially with Quidditch and all that.” He shrugs like it isn’t a big deal, tucking the rabbit under his other arm.

It might be the early hour, or the lack of sleep, but Trini finds herself speaking before she fully finishes her thought. “If you want, I could help you out. I mean,” she stutters slightly, “I still need to work on it too, so it might be good if we, y’know, practiced. Together.”

Zack blinks, clearly surprised. “Oh! Um, yeah. Yeah that… that sounds good.”

“I kind of owe you anyways, for the quidditch training and stuff…” She trails off awkwardly.

Thankfully, they don’t stand in silence for too long. The clanging of the bells draws their attention, startling them both. They both speak at the same time.

“I should probably- ”

“That’s my cue-”

Trini cringes internally. She fires a quick “see you later” to Zack before turning and walking briskly back to the castle. She hears him call out as she’s leaving.

“Later, Crazy Girl!”

* * *

Something bounces off her head, jolting her awake. Trini’z eyes shoot around disorientedly, trying to make sense of everything. The garish color of the walls tells her that she’s in the Hufflepuff common room. She looks down, and sees a colorful paper tiger prowling on her books.

“Sorry about that.” She turns to the source of the voice walking towards her. It’s a tall boy with long, silvery hair that’s tied back. He reaches out, and the tiger jumps into his hand. “Didn’t mean to disturb you, especially since you looked so comfy.”

She chuckles bashfully. “It’s probably a good thing,” she says. “I don’t even remember falling asleep.”

“We’ve all been there before, believe me.” He sticks his hand out. “I’m Ernie, by the way. And yes, that is my real name, short for Ernest, haha, it’s funny, I know.”

She smiles, shaking his hand. “Trini.” She looks at his face, and something clicks. “You’re on the quidditch team, aren’t you?             You’re, uh, a chaser? Keeper?”

“A little bit of everything, actually,” he laughs, eyes twinkling. “I move positions almost every year.”

“Wow. That’s pretty impressive.”

“Eh,” he shrugs. “Mostly I just round out whatever position needs filling.”

“Still, you must be pretty talented. Are you captain this year?”

“No, although I am technically Vice Captain, in an unofficial capacity. Jen’s captain, and she’s certainly got the passion for it, but she forgets a lot of the administrative stuff, which is where I come in. Speaking of quidditch,” he says, “I hate to be that person, but tryouts are on Saturday. Jen’s making me tell everyone I see,” he explains.

Trini nods. “Cool. I’ll be there.”

“You don’t have to say that just because I brought it up,” Ernie says quickly.

“No, really, I was planning on going anyways.”

“Oh. Oh! Great, then.” He smiles. “I’ll see you around, Trini.” He walks off, his long hair swishing behind him, the paper tiger crouching on his shoulder.

Trini glances at her watch and sees that it’s around the time that Zack’s last class gets out. She clears her things off the table, putting her books on her bed, before heading out to meet him.

She reaches the tree from before and sets her bag down. She stretches a little, looking around. It’s sunnier today, and the sun is hovering quite nicely over the water. _One of the perks of living in a hidden castle in the middle of nowhere_ , she muses to herself. _At least you get a good view._

“Sorry, had to go get him from Professor McGonagall.” Zack shuffles up to her, a cage tucked under his arm. “How’s your day been?” he asks, setting it down.

She shrugs. “Same as every other day. Did meet this guy with a sick ponytail though, Ernie.”

Zack’s eyes light up in recognition, a little smile on his face. “Oh, Ernie! Yeah they’re cool, great quidditch player. Also super hot as well.” He sighs a little dreamily, staring off into the distance for a moment.

Trini blinks, her brain frantically trying to process all of the information packed into the last few seconds. It’s not that any of that information bothers her, per se. She’s more shocked at the ease with which Zack mentions it.

She chooses to go for the least personal question. “They?”

“Oh yeah, Ernie uses they/them pronouns. They’re genderqueer.” Zack looks at her. “You’re cool with that, right?”

“Way to put me on the spot, but yeah, of course. And they’re cool with you telling me this?”

“Yeah, Ernie is out, they don’t mind. Did you guys talk about tryouts?”

She nods. “Yeah, they mentioned it and I told them I was going.”

“Ernie’s pretty high up in the hierarchy of the Hufflepuff team. Would have been a good time to use what little charm you have, butter ‘em up a little, earn some bonus points, eh? Eh?” Zack winks excessively at her, nudging her with his elbow.

“First of all, no,” she says, pushing him away. “I’m not quite as willing to embarrass myself like that as you are. And they’re not my type, anyways.”

“Well, what is your type, then?” Zack asks, and Trini freezes. Luckily Zack doesn’t seem to notice, he just watches her waiting for an answer. Unfortunately, she doesn’t know what to tell him.

Fortunately, a slight movement in her peripheral vision gives her a distraction.

“My type is someone who actually pays attention to what they’re doing,” she says, pointing over Zack’s shoulder at the escaping rabbit. He looks at the open cage, before cursing and setting off after the animal, Trini laughing at him as he scrambles.

* * *

“So did you always want to play quidditch?” Trini asks. They’ve been sitting there for a while, the rabbit between them as they took turns trying to cast the spell. Her back is leaning against the tree, and Zack is sprawled out on his side, his head propped up on his hand.

Zack tries the spell again, and the grass around the rabbit glows for a bit, but nothing happens. He sighs disappointedly.

“Actually, when I got here, I had no idea what quidditch was,” he says, and Trini pauses, her wand in the air. “There isn’t much opportunity to learn about that kind of stuff outside the wizarding world.”

Trini’s eyes widen. “Oh. You’re--”

“Yup. Muggleborn, 100%.”

She nods. “Me too,” she says, and Zack’s eyes meet hers. “I just didn’t think… I mean, you look so at home here, I thought that you were at least half-blood, or something.”

He shrugs, sitting up. “Yeah, well, wasn’t always like that. It was super awkward my first year, everything was really weird. It was my mom who suggested that I join quidditch, actually.” He chuckles, a look of fondness growing on his face. “The only thing she knows about it is that it’s a sport, but she kept insisting that I try and make friends somehow. Plus, it was a good outlet for all my nervous energy.”

Zack reaches out and gently strokes the rabbit, scratching the back of its neck a little. Trini watches him, a little surprised. She never would have guessed it, but it turns out that underneath all his loudness and bravado, Zack is actually a really nice guy.

“So what about you?” She starts, pulled out of her thoughts. Zack is looking at her, that air of openness still surrounding him. “How’d you adjust to all of this?” he asks, gesturing to the castle.

She doesn’t meet his eyes, reaching out to tentatively pat the rabbit instead. “Dunno, I guess I managed somehow,” she mumbles. She can’t bring herself to lie to Zack, not when he’d just been somewhat honest with her.

He raises an eyebrow, but to her relief, he doesn’t push her for a better answer. She takes a deep breath, concentrating, before carefully waving her wand and saying the incantation, making sure to enunciate.

The rabbit stops chewing, the grass around it glowing with a bright light. It rises, freezing into a pose on its hind feet, and Trini and Zack hold their breath in anticipation. A moment passes, then another, and then the light fades and the rabbit unfreezes, landing back on all fours. It continues chewing as if nothing had happened.

Zack groans, flopping onto his back. Trini closes her eyes, tilting her head back until it hits the tree. “Damn.”

“You’re rushing it,” a voice calls, and Trini opens her eyes to deliver some snarky response to whoever was butting into their business. Unfortunately, her voice seems to completely disappear for a second when she sees who it is.

Kimberly is walking towards them, and she is in a completely unreasonable state of undress, a towel in her hands. Trini frantically turns away, afraid that she might start staring. Unfortunately, she wasn’t quick enough, and the image of Kimberly Hart in a fucking bikini, her legs and stomach completely on display, keeps flashing behind her eyes.

“You’re enunciation is good, but the wand movement is still a bit unclear,” Kimberly says casually, as if she isn’t practically naked in the middle of the grounds. Her skin is littered with droplets, and water drips from her hair. She tilts her head, starting to wring her hair out. “If you slowed down a little, you’d probably get it.”

“Woah, Hart,” Zack laughs incredulously. “I always knew you were a little crazy, but you actually go swimming in that fucking lake? Home to the giant squid?”

Kimberly shrugs, slinging the towel over her shoulder. “Weather was looking nice, figured I’d go for a swim.”

“In a lake full of deadly magical creatures?”

“I live in the dungeons, Zack, and there are windows. They’re actually not as scary as everyone makes them sound.”

“Sure they aren’t. I’m just saying, when a giant pervy tentacle snatches your top off, you’ll have no one to blame but yourself.”

“I… In what scenario would that possibly happen? I don’t even want to know how you came up with that.”

Trini feels awkward just sitting there listening to Zack and Kimberly banter, so she turns her attention back to the rabbit, who has hopped a few feet away. She exhales, focusing intently, and tries the spell again. Once more, the rabbit assumes the correct pose, but it doesn’t turn into a statue, and the spell fails. She lets out a huff of frustration.

“You’re still rushing it.” Trini notices that Kimberly is addressing her. “The second movement needs to be softer—”

“Well, if you’re so good at it, why don’t you show us how it’s done?” Trini challenges. She can feel her ears burning slightly from embarrassment.

Kimberly raises an eyebrow, and Trini expects her to just make some snarky remark and walk off. Instead, she steps forward, and soon she’s standing over Trini. It’s an awkward angle looking up to her face, but Trini figures it’s more appropriate than looking at any other part of Kimberly’s very much unclothed body.

There’s an awkward silence before Kimberly speaks. “Um. I don’t have my wand.” Trini blinks in confusion before she realizes that Kimberly’s hand is outstretched. _Oops_. She still doesn’t move, simply maintaining eye contact with Kimberly.

Finally, Kimberly lets out a sigh that is somehow both patient and condescending, before turning to Zack. “Can I?” she asks, and Zack hands his wand over.

She turns to the rabbit and lifts the wand. Her wrist flexes gracefully as she casts the spell, and even before she finishes, Trini can already tell that it’ll work. The glow barely lasts, and soon a ceramic statue of a rabbit rests on the grass.

“Good enough?” Kimberly asks, and Trini doesn’t have a reply. Kimberly simply smirks and hands Zack his wand back. “See you later,” she says to him before she walks off, not even bothering to say goodbye to Trini.

“That girl is hot as hell,” Zack comments, and Trini kicks him lightly, because there’s no way that Kimberly is out of earshot.

“Ow! What?” Zack complains, rubbing his shin. “It’s true.”

Trini rolls her eyes. “Whatever. Who does she think she is, acting like she knows everything?”

“I mean, she did get the spell right.”

“So?” Trini scoffs. “It’s still rude.”

“You realize she’s top of our class in Transfiguration, right? She’s got the brains _and_ the body.”

“Gross, dude.” Trini grimaces, aiming another kick at Zack. “Do you talk about all your friends like that?”

“Actually I do,” he says, before winking at her. “If you think that’s bad, you should hear the stuff I say about Jason—” She cuts him off with a groan, burying her face in her hands, and he laughs. There’s a pause before Zack speaks again.

“So, you reckon Kimberly’s more of your type?” Her head shoots up, and Zack is watching her with a devious twinkle in his eyes.

Instead of responding, she turns to regard the rabbit statue. She looks at Zack, smirks, and then raises her wand. His eyes widen.

“Wait, don’t—”

“ _Lapifors_.”

The statue wavers, comes to life, and the rabbit immediately starts hopping away. Trini rises to her feet, grabbing her bag. “Good luck, Taylor,” she taunts as he gapes at her.

“Wha-? What am I supposed to do now?”

“Keep practicing,” She says as she backs away. She waves her arms in an exaggerated conductor-like gesture. “Remember, slooooowly.” She turns away, and chuckles when she hears Zack swear as he goes back to chasing the rabbit.

* * *

Trini fidgets with the handle of her broom, her brain already filling with regret. Her nerves had been getting the best of her, so she figured that there was no harm in getting to the tryouts a little early. Except she might have been too early, and now she’s facing the prospect of sitting awkwardly by herself, waiting for someone else to arrive.

_Stupid_ , she mentally berates herself. She’s tempted to fly around a bit, just to give herself something to do, but it might look pretentious if someone saw her. She settles for pulling her wand out and messing around a bit.

Even after all these years, Trini never gets tired of doing magic. Not to say that being gifted this way was easy; she figures her relationship with her parents would still be strained either way, but magic definitely played a part in that. Still, she found something calming in casting spells. There was a certainty in it, in the way she could actually make things happen. It helped her feel in control, even if only for a little bit.

She conjures a rainbow, and smiles as it hovers in a perfect circle front of her. Her smile fades a little when she remembers her earlier conversation with Zack. She bites her lip, mulling over the questions he’d asked her.

_You reckon Kimberly’s more your type?_

She hears footsteps approaching, and it turns out to be Ernie again. She gives them a wave.

“That’s pretty neat.” Ernie says, and Trini shrugs.

“Thanks. So’s that.” She gestures to Ernie’s hair, and they chuckle.

“Tragically, I’m nowhere near this skilled. It’s all Jen’s work,” they say, fingers brushing against the braids pinning their hair back. “Speaking of which, she swore she was gonna be on time…”

There’s silence for an awkward amount of time before Ernie tries to start up the conversation again. “Feeling nervous?”

Luckily, at that point, a bunch of other Hufflepuffs walk in, some of them in jerseys, some of them wearing regular clothes. Some of them call out to Ernie, and they excuse themself before going to join their teammates. Trini lets out a breath, glad to not be the focus of attention anymore.

People keep arriving for the next ten minutes or so, and soon the pitch is full of noise and chatter. Eventually, a sharp whistle calls them all to silence, and Ernie steps out.

“Hello everyone,” they say cheerfully. “Hopefully you’re here because you want to try out for the Hufflepuff quidditch team. If you thought this was gonna be something else, then I’m sorry to disappoint, but we’d still like you to try out anyways. If you’re not in Hufflepuff, then I don’t know what you’re doing here, but could you please leave, thanks.” There’s a titter from the crowd, and some groans from Ernie’s teammates.

“For those of you who don’t know, I’m Ernie, the unofficial vice-captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. I am not the actual captain, as that would be—”

“That would be me.” A voice booms from the entrance, and everyone turns on the spot. There’s a girl walking towards them, purpose evident in her every step. Trini can feel the wave of intimidation settle over the crowd.

Ernie shakes their head. “Always one for dramatics,” they sigh as the girl comes to stand next to them. Her long, dark hair is braided down the back, and her dark, serious eyes scan the crowd.

“Listen up,” she _commands_ , and everyone snaps to attention. “I am the Captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. You may call me Jen, Jenny if I like you, and Jennifer if you have a death wish.” Some idiot in the crowd chuckles, but he chokes when she immediately fixes him with a piercing glare.

“I’m not going to lie, the team has suffered a bit of a blow this year, so you have some big shoes to fill. If you want to even be considered for this team, I want you to give 100% effort. There will be no do-overs for these tryouts, no second chances. This is your one and only chance to prove that you are tough enough and talented enough to be on the team. You want a place? Then. Earn. It.” She punctuates the final words by staring into the crowd, and Trini swallows thickly. “Warm ‘em up,” Jen says to Ernie before taking off on her broom.

“Well then.” Ernie claps their hands enthusiastically. “We’ll have a few laps around the pitch to warm up, do some drills, and we’ll go from there. Sound good?”

The girl standing next to Trini leans in close. “The captain sure is scary, huh?” she whispers.

Trini nods, watching Jen fly around the pitch. “Yeah. I wanna be her when I grow up.”

* * *

“We’ll take a five minute break,” Jen calls out. “And no slacking!”

Sighs of relief can be heard throughout the pitch. Trini settles on the ground, wiping the sweat off her face.

The tryouts so far had been… chaotic, to say the least. After warm-ups and passing drills, there had barely been any structure at all. Jen seemed to be calling out exercises at random, some of them sounding so ridiculous that Trini was sure they’d been made up on the spot (at one point she tried to have them steer their brooms with their legs, which Trini is pretty sure is impossible). To add to the weirdness, every so often Ernie or one of the other squad members would fly up, seemingly out of nowhere, and yell “Catch!” while throwing some random object in the air (they lost a couple of recruits from black eyes, and Jen eventually had to call them off when someone launched an umbrella through the air like a javelin).

“Hey Trini! Catch!” She whirls around, hands just barely coming up in time to catch the object being thrown at her. It’s cold, and wet, and she realizes that it’s a bottle of water. She looks for the source, and is startled to see Billy waving to her from the stands.

“You need to stay hydrated!” he calls down, hands cupped around his mouth like a megaphone. There’s a huge smile on her face as she sips from the bottle before giving him a thumbs up. He gives her two in response, and Trini feels like she could cry.

“Alright grunts, circle up!” Jen barks, and Trini quickly takes a few last sips before heading over.

“Surely there’s a nicer word to call them?” Ernie suggests, and Jen waves the suggestion off.

“Meh, who can be bothered? Alright,” she addresses the recruits. “We’ve split you guys up into teams, and we’re gonna run a practice match. We don’t have a snitch, so instead you’ll be chasing Ernie here. Rules as usual, except the game doesn’t end when the snitch is caught. If you somehow do manage to catch Ernie, both seekers will be switched out, and the match will continue. Any questions?”

A hand rises. “If Ernie is gonna be flying, how are we supposed to catch them without anyone getting injured.”

Jen shrugs. “That’s your problem. Anything else? No. Good. Also, positions may be switched up randomly and without warning, so you suckers better be on your toes.”

Fourteen people are selected to be on the starting teams, and the rest are told to wait in the stands. There’s a lot of confusion and apprehension floating among the recruits, and Trini tries to tune it out. She grabs a seat next to Billy, giving him a smile.

“Didn’t know you were gonna be here,” she says, nudging him with her shoulder. He flinches at the contact, but waves off her apology.

“You’re my friend, of course I’m gonna come watch. I would’ve brought the others, but I don’t think players from other teams are welcome at tryouts.”

“Probably not,” Trini agrees. They turn their attention back to the pitch as the quaffle is thrown up and the match begins.

Billy watches the pitch with a blank expression. After a minute, he speaks up. “This is a hot mess.”

“I agree.” They both wince as two of the players exchanging Chaser positions collide into each other, calling for a time-out. A player in a jersey flies up and points to Trini.

“You, Tiny. You’re up.” She glares at him defiantly before saying goodbye to Billy. Rather than going back down the stairs, she simply jumps to the top of the barrier and leaps from there, mounting her broom in mid-air.

The Hufflepuff player nods. “Impressive. Hopefully your skills live up to your showmanship. You’re in seeker position for team Yellow.”

The whistle blows, signaling the match to resume, and Trini immediately flies to a higher vantage point, scanning the action. She quickly spots Ernie by their silvery hair, the Black team seeker in pursuit. She almost dives down, but then she sees Ernie heading towards the thick of the action, where the chasers are battling for the quaffle. She heads on an interception path, aiming for the other side of the mass of people.

Ernie skillfully weaves under and between the other players—the other seeker isn’t as lucky, almost colliding with a chaser before getting brutally pummeled by a bludger. Trini winces in sympathy as they’re quickly swapped out.

Something flicks her in the ear, and her hand comes up instinctively. “Ah!”

“Focus, Trini,” Ernie’s voice says over her shoulder, and she immediately turns, but they’re already speeding off. She sets off after them, keeping an eye out for obstacles.

They zig-zag across the field for a while before Ernie tries the same tactic, darting by the other players in an attempt to throw her off. Instead, Trini drops altitude, flying a level below the action. She’s able to track the action above her, and she spots Ernie as they’re looping back to the other side of the pitch. She’s gearing up to intercept when her path is suddenly blocked.

“Get out of the way!” she snaps at the figure that swerved in front of her, and she nearly pisses her pants when she looks and sees Jen glaring at her sternly.

“I-I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…” she manages to stutter out. Jen looks between her and Ernie before speaking again.

“Change of position,” she says, tossing Trini a bat. “You’re beater now.” She speeds off before Trini can say anything else.

The rest of the match passes quickly; there isn’t much for Trini to do as a beater, since the players are so disorganized she can barely remember who to defend and who to attack. Eventually, Jen calls a halt.

“That’s good, we’re done now. Good show, we’ll get back to you… at some point.” She flies away, leaving Ernie standing in front of everyone. They look around before throwing their hands up in celebration.

“You guys did really well!” they cheer, a comically large smile on their face. “That was a lot of fun, I hope you guys enjoyed it, we’ll have a discussion and once the team has been selected we’ll probably post something in the common room. Get some rest, make sure to drink water, and have a nice day!” As abruptly as their speech began, it ends, and Ernie is already walking towards the rest of the team before Trini can process what they said.

“Talk about good cop, bad cop,” she mutters to herself as she heads out. Billy is waiting for her outside the pitch, and he claps his hands when he sees her.

“You did really well!” he says excitedly. “It’s a shame you didn’t get to play chaser, but all that practice we did paid off! It was a really unorthodox method of choosing players though, I’m really interested in what their goal was. When do the results come out? I’m pretty sure you have a good chance of getting in. Do you think I’d be able to talk to the captain?”

Trini holds her hand up for a second, and Billy pauses. She thinks for a moment before responding. “Thanks Billy, it was fun, I had no idea what was going on either, results will be out maybe in a week? And you can try and talk to her, but she’s kinda... rough. Ernie is nice, though.”

He nods. “That’s good to hear. What are you going to do now?”

“Have a shower, eat everything I can get my hands on, and then take a nap.”

“Sounds like a good post-practice plan. But don’t eat _everything_ , because it’s really easy to overeat after you exercise, because you’re so hungry. Plus, if you’re too full, you might get indigestion during your nap.”

She smiles, touched by his concern. “Don’t worry, I’ve got this. Everything in moderation.”

They chat a little about classes and the other players on the walk back to the castle (“It takes a lot of skill to drop the quaffle.” “I’m sure it happens to everyone though, right?” “They literally have Gripping Charms on them, Trini.” “Oh…”). Billy eventually heads off to the library to do some more research, and Trini heads back to the Hufflepuff common room. She stops by the kitchens first, and the house elves are very curious about her appearance. She gives them a very brief rundown of the tryouts as they foist sandwiches and pastries on her, and they wish her luck while sending her off.

Stepping into the Hufflepuff common room is incredibly awkward, because all of the other players from the tryouts are also just making their way back. Many of them are congregated by the windows in a sweaty mass, discussing the tryouts and how each of them thinks they did. Some of them recognize Trini and try to start a conversation, but she manages to quickly, if somewhat brusquely, brush them off as she heads to her dorm.

She debates whether to eat or shower first, but after getting a good whiff of herself, she decides that the sandwiches can wait. The hot water of the shower feels heavenly, and the only reason she manages to make it back to her dorm is because her stomach starts grumbling. The sandwiches are delicious, as always, and she has some pastries left over for later, as always. She barely manages to set everything aside before she passes out from exhaustion.

* * *

Zack is waiting for her outside the Great Hall after lunch. He falls in step besides her as they head to the library.

“Well?” he asks insistently.

“Well what?” she says, feigning ignorance. He sighs dramatically, rolling his eyes.

“The quidditch tryouts, what else?! It’s been over a week, surely they must have said _something_ by now.” She keeps her expression innocent, and he makes an exasperated noise, throwing his hands in the air. All of a sudden he stops, and his eyes narrow at her in suspicion.

“Wait a minute… You’re pulling my leg, aren’t you?”

She keeps her expression blank.

“So results did come out, then?”

No response.

“Did you make it on the team?”

Silence. Then, a slight twitch of her mouth.

“I KNEW IT!” All of a sudden, Trini finds herself wrapped up in one of the most intense bear hugs of her life. She feels herself lifted clean off her feet, and her bag presses uncomfortably into her side as Zack squeezes her, spinning around.

“That’s my Crazy Girl! I knew you could do it!” After a few spins he sets her down, and the first thing she does is punch him in the kidney.

“I’m proud of you,” he wheezes out, and while she doesn’t respond, the smile on her face says it all.

She and Zack make their way triumphantly to the designated study table, when Trini stops short. Billy and Jason are sitting next to each other, as usual, with designated space for Billy to lay out his inkwell and quills. But on Jason’s other side sits Kimberly, her hair falling in her face as she leans over her book.

“Huh. Fancy seeing her here,” Zack whispers. Trini frowns.

“You say that like you come here all the time. You’ve literally stepped in this library once.”

“Twice, now.”

“Same difference.” Taking a moment to get herself together, Trini walks up to the table, Zack in tow. She takes her usual seat across from Billy, who looks up at her.

“Any news?” he asks, and Jason turns as well. She exchanges glances with Zack before turning back and giving a thumbs up.

“That’s great,” Jason says, giving her a smile. “You’ve been working hard, you deserve it.”

Billy looks confusedly at her for a moment, hesitantly giving her a thumbs up. “Um, thanks? But did you make it onto the team or not?” he asks again.

“Yeah, I did!”

Billy gasps, clapping his hands together. Out of the corner of her eye, she notices Jason watching Billy fondly.

“Congrats.” Trini is surprised to hear Kimberly speak. She gives a sort of awkward nod in response, and Kimberly turns back to her book.

After a moment of silence, Trini gets out her astrology assignment, rubbing her eyes as she looks over the star chart.

Zack leans over (which is kind of unnecessary, considering how much taller than her he is), and frowns. “Wait, what’s that doing there?” He points to a dot on her paper.

She blinks at him. “That’s Pluto.”

“Pluto’s involved in this?”

“Yeah, we’re supposed to calculate based on a waning half moon. But I thought Pluto was supposed to be over there.” Billy points to a different cluster of stars.

“What? Let me see your chart.”

The three of them spend the next thirty minutes comparing star charts and quietly arguing about the positions of the planets. They eventually attract the wrath of Madame Pince, who gives them a brief scathing lecture on collaborative work and library etiquette before making them all swear to be silent. As soon as she’s out of view, the whole table dissolves into quiet sniggering.

As she reaches for a reference book, Trini briefly wonders how she came from studying alone in the common room to sitting at a library table with her two best friends, her best friend’s quasi-boyfriend, and her best friend’s quasi-boyfriend’s mysterious ex-girlfriend. She rubs at her eyes, turning back to her work. She’ll have time to ruminate on all of this later. Right now, she’ll just enjoy the calm while it lasts.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as usual, constructive criticism is always welcome! hopefully i'll get back to you guys soon


	5. if you don't like the way i talk, then why am i on your mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Perhaps a change of perspective is in order. After all, there are two sides to this story...
> 
> Chapter Title from Blow Your Mind by Dua Lipa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thought i'd switch things up on y'all, just for fun. the good news is, i'm finally done with school, so updates are probably gonna be more consistent and frequent now. also throwing you guys a little bone here with more trimberly interaction (just maybe not how you expect. this is a slowburn, after all)
> 
> Enjoy!

* * *

“Ok. Go.”

“You sure you’re ready Billy? I mean, I can go first—”

“Jason, for the third time, I’m good. Just do it. But, uh, please be gentle.”

“Ha. Gentle. I’ll uh… I’ll try.” Billy did not look reassured by that.

Kim sighs, fiddling with her wand impatiently. She glares as Jason raises his wand uncertainly once more and hesitates. She rolls her eyes.

“I’m just—”

“Oh for God’s sake.” Kim finally snaps, pointing her wand at Billy, whose eyes widen. “ _Stupefy_.”

Jason yelps as a tiny jet of red light shoots out to hit Billy, and his body immediately goes limp. He falls backwards onto the mattress with a thud, his eyes closed. Jason looks to her in shock, and she shrugs.

“You were taking too long. We weren’t getting anywhere with you dithering around like that,” Kim scoffs. They walk to stand over their unconscious friend.

“Ok.” She looks at Jason, who seems uncertain as to what to do now.

“What?”

“You’re the one who’s supposed to be practicing the spell, dumbass,” she teases, elbowing him slightly. “You first.”

He nods, swallowing. He points his wand at Billy. “ _Rennervate_.”

There’s silence for a moment before Billy lets out a loud groan. Jason immediately leans down to help him sit up.

“How long did it take?” he asks, rubbing his head.

“Not long,” Kim answers. “I didn’t expect him to get it on the first try. Must have been a fluke.”

“Wow, thanks.” Kim just winks at Jason, before conjuring a goblet and filling it with water. She hands it to Billy, who looks impressed. He takes a long drink before standing up and shaking himself out.

“Alright. Let’s go again.”

Jason frowns. “Billy, you just went, it’s Kim’s turn.”

“Oh no, I’m good,” she says, leaning back against the desk. Jason shoots her a dirty look, and she grins back. Jason backs away from Billy, before raising his wand and taking a deep breath. He casts the Stunning Spell, and once again, Billy is lying unconscious on the mattress.

“ _Rennervate_ ,” Jason casts, only this time, Billy doesn’t wake up. Jason tries again, to no avail. He looks up to the ceiling and groans in frustration.

Kim smirks. “Oh, this might take a while,” she says, sipping from the goblet.

“Fuck off, Kim.”

After almost a dozen more tries, Jason finally manages to wake Billy up again. This time, he insists that Billy and Kim trade places. She briefly wonders if Jason will stun her properly as revenge for making fun of him, but luckily, Billy does it instead.

When she comes to, her head is aching, and her mouth is incredibly dry. It feels like waking up from a too-long nap, only much worse. She shades her eyes with her hand, rolling over to get up.

“I don’t get it,” Jason says, pacing back and forth. “Why is this so hard?”

“Maybe you’re not focusing enough? Or maybe you’re focusing too much. I actually don’t know why it isn’t working.” Billy looks over Jason’s shoulder and sees her. He immediately grabs the goblet, refilling it as he walks over to her.

“Hey.” She smiles gratefully at him as she takes a drink. “Sorry, I would have woken you up sooner, but I really wanted to make sure Jason got it, but it was taking longer than I thought.”

Kim shakes her head. “It’s fine Billy, it’s definitely not your fault.” She turns to Jason. “Are you seriously that bad at the spell that I actually woke up without your help?”

“You don’t need to rub it in,” he grumbles. She laughs, and immediately clutches her head at the pain. Billy notices, and pulls a little corked bottle out of this robe.

“Here, this’ll help with your headache. One sip only.” She waves it off.

“Nah, I’m gonna be out again soon. One more time. It’s only fair,” she adds at Billy’s concerned expression. “You went twice.”

“Yeah, but you’ve been out for twenty minutes.”

“I could use a nap. Besides, I don’t think I have the patience to help Jason with this.”

“I have no problem with that,” Jason chuckles, before pointing his wand at her again. Billy steps out of the way as she nods that she’s ready, and everything goes black. This time, when she wakes up, the boys are standing over her. Billy does a few little claps with his hands.

“You got it!” he says, and Jason looks quite proud of himself. He reaches out a hand, and Kim takes it, pulling herself up.

Billy pulls out his wand. “Alright Jason, your turn.”

Jason barely has time to give Billy a confused look before he’s suddenly knocked onto the mattress. Kim stifles her laugh with her hand. Billy walks over and offers her the bottle of potion again, which she accepts.

“So, are you gonna wake him up?” She takes a sip of the thin liquid. After a few seconds, a strange watery sensation flows through her head before the pain fades.

The corner of Billy’s mouth tilts up. “I’m considering making him wait a little. See how it feels.” He hops up onto the desk next to Kim, his legs swinging a little as they dangle.

“How’s term been going for you, so far? I know we haven’t had much time to talk.”

“It’s been pretty good. I’ve been talking with Slughorn and Longbottom about getting full-time access to the dungeons and greenhouses, since they don’t always have time to supervise me, and some of the projects I’m working on are gonna require a little bit more time than I have right now. I still haven’t figured out to accurately predict the phenotypes of venomous tentaculae, there are so many, did you know? But other than that, things are going pretty good.”

“That’s good, I’m glad, Billy.”

He looks at her, and she knows that he’s about to ask a serious question because he makes eye contact with her, even if it’s brief.

“How are you doing, Kim?” he asks softly. She falls silent, biting her lip. Billy doesn’t say anything else, just watches her, waiting for a response.

_How_ am _I doing?_ She sighs. “I’m… I’m getting by. Things are tough, but it could be worse.”

“Just because it could be worse doesn’t mean it’s not already bad. Is it bad?” He seems concerned, and she quickly speaks up.

“No, no, it’s not bad,” she reassures him, and if it’s a bit of a lie, he doesn’t catch it. “It’s just… weird, you know? I don’t know what people are thinking when they look at me, if they’re judging me, if they hate me. It’s hard to ignore, you know?”

Billy snorts. “Oh yeah, believe me, I know exactly how that feels.”

She feels a twinge of guilt and sympathy; in the past, she might have been one of the kids that looked at Billy like that. Now that she’s experiencing it, even on a small scale, she can’t begin to understand how Billy dealt with it for so long.

“Billy?” she says after a moment.

“Yes?”

“How…” She hesitates. “How do you deal with it? With the stares, and the whispers and… just, all of it?” She’s grateful for the pause that follows, because it means that Billy is carefully considering his answer.

“It sucks.”

She looks at him, surprised at his bluntness. He raises his eyebrows. “What? It does. The truth is, when people judge you, it hurts. But that’s not really advice, I guess. For me? It’s better because I have you guys.” He looks off, his feet still swinging in the air. “It helps to remember that I have people who won’t judge me for being who I am. And that’s what we are for you, Kim. We won’t judge you for your mistakes.”

She swallows past the thick knot in her throat, simply nodding. They sit in comfortable silence for a while before Kim lets out a little laugh.

“We should probably wake Jason up.”

“Oh! Oh yeah, right.”

It takes Kim a few tries to get the spell right, but not nearly as many as it took Jason. They tease him for his headache, and he begrudgingly admits that it’s “more unpleasant than it seems.” After a few more rounds, they’re all tired enough to call it a day.

They’re all relaxing in the grounds when Billy springs the question on them.

“What do you guys think of Trini?”

Kim raises an eyebrow. The reclusive girl had just sort of appeared at some point, and her friendship with Billy and Zack meant that they’d inevitably had more than a few encounters. She’d figured that the girl’s presence at their study table was due to Billy’s kindness, but other than that, she didn’t actually know much about her.

She gives a noncommittal “hm” in response. In contrast, Jason actually answers the question.

“She seems nice,” he says. Seeing Kim’s skeptical look, he clarifies. “I mean, granted, she isn’t the most extroverted person, but she, uh… I mean, she hasn’t _done_ anything, right?” He seems to be floundering for words.

“That’s the thing,” she says. “I mean, we don’t really know anything about her.”

Billy frowns. “But we do know stuff about her. She’s on the Hufflepuff quidditch team, she’s nice, she gets angry when Zack tries to pick her up, she thinks pumpkin juice is gross—”

Jason cuts him off. “I think Kim means that we don’t really know anything personal about her. She doesn’t talk to us that much, so we don’t really know what kind of person she is.”

“She evidently has some sort of chip on her shoulder,” Kim mutters, and Jason looks at her curiously.

“Well, I think Trini’s cool.” Billy’s foot taps out a steady rhythm on the grass as he speaks. “I want her to be friends with us. Like, part of the group, you know?”

They stare, a little confused.

“I want her to be part of our friend group,” Billy tries to explain. “You know? Is that a thing we can do?”

“Uh, maybe? I think?” Jason says hesitantly. “I mean, I don’t really know, like _how_ that’s supposed to happen, it just kind of does.”

“We could just straight up ask her if she wants to be friends with us.”

“Ehh, I don’t know, B. I feel like if we did that, it would be awkward. Kind of like we’re putting her on the spot or something.”

“Plus, it depends on if she actually wants to hang around with us, and vice versa,” Kim points out.

“Well, she’s been hanging out in the library with us for a while now, and Zack and I play quidditch with her in the mornings, so I’m pretty sure that means she likes us. Do you not like Trini, Kim?” Billy looks a little hurt, and Kim sighs.

“I mean, I don’t dislike her.”

“That’s what people say when they don’t like someone, Kim.”

Kim rolls her eyes. “If she’s friendly with me, then I’ll be friendly with her. That’s all I’ll say for now.”

Billy shrugs. “I’ll take it.”

“Why, did she say something to you?” Jason looks concerned, and while she appreciates how protective he is, it can be annoying sometimes.

She shakes her head. “No, she’s just… not the friendliest, I guess.” Kim stands up, brushing bits off grass off her robes. “I’ve got to go finish an essay, I’ll see you guys tomorrow? Breakfast?”

Jason nods, and Billy gives her a thumbs up. She grabs her bags and heads back inside. She notices some of the students giving her curious looks, and it makes her a little nervous. It’s been a few weeks, which is plenty of time for everyone to adjust to the admittedly radical change in her hairstyle. She briefly wonders if word had gotten out, but she shakes the thought off. Steeling herself, she heads back to the Slytherin common room.

* * *

Taking a deep breath, she flicks her wand twice at the silver candlestick in front of her as she says “ _Triplico_ ”. The candlestick seems to waver, blurring slightly, before two exact replicas appear on either side. Kim sits back, satisfied with herself.

“I’m impressed, Miss Hart.” She turns to see Professor McGonagall peering down at her over her spectacles.

“Many students find difficulty with casting _Gemino_ to create a copy, let alone create two. Well done.” She walks off, and Kim feels a rush of pride in her chest at the rare compliment from the strict woman. She lets a small smile onto her face as she waves her wand, casting “ _Evanesco_ ” and dispelling the replicas.

She hears a disgusted scoff from behind her, and her smile fades. She resists the urge to turn around, even as she hears the voice whispering.

“Of course she’d be sucking up to teachers now that she has no friends. They’re probably the only ones that can tolerate her.” Kim tries to ignore the giggles that follow.

When McGonagall dismisses the class, she sighs in relief and tries to leave quickly, eager to get out of the stifling classroom. As she’s leaving, someone collides with her, causing her to stumble. Her stomach drops when she sees that it’s Amanda, with Harper close behind.

“You know, Slytherin is really fitting for you, Hart,” Amanda sneers, and Kim stiffens. “Perfect place for a stuck up, snake bitch.” She’s off before Kim can retort, leaving her shocked in the middle of the hallway.

Her grip on the strap of her bag tightens, and she clenches her jaw a little, trying to sort through the wave of emotions going through her. Instead of heading to the library or the common, she decides to head outside instead.

The fresh air doesn’t do much to calm the turmoil in her head. She isn’t quite sure which feelings are which, whether she is angry, hurt, or ashamed. She walks faster, determined to outrun her thoughts.

As much as she wants to go for a swim, the grounds are a bit crowded, and she doesn’t feel like being around people at the moment. Her desire for peace and quiet ultimately leads her towards the quidditch pitch. As she approaches, she sees the Hufflepuff team filing out of the exit. Jen gives her a once over as she draws near.

“You got business with us, Hart?”

“No,” Kim replies, light, simple, and concise. Jen simply gives her a respectful nod before continuing on her way. The two had a mutual respect between them, as women and as quidditch players.

She sees Trini near the back of the group, and they make eye contact. Kim wonders if it would be awkward to say hello, but Trini quickly looks away, almost as if pretending not to have noticed her. _Alright, then_. Feeling a little snubbed, Kim brushes past, refusing to acknowledge her either.

She climbs high into the stands, high enough that she can overlook the whole castle. The wind is blowing slightly and the sky is cloudy, but she doesn’t feel the chill as much. She sits down heavily, gazing out over Hogwarts.

_How could a place like this cause me such misery_ , she wonders to herself. The silence exerts a pressing weight, and she’s not sure if she finds it comforting or suffocating. She lies down and throws an arm over her eyes to block out the light.

She hopes that maybe, if she lies there long enough, all of her problems will vanish.

After a while, she’s not sure how long, she starts to feel drops of water falling on her hand. She forces her leaden limbs to move as she heads to the safety of the castle. She manages to avoid the most of the rain, drying herself off with a quick spell once indoors. Kim heads to the library, hoping it will motivate her to get some work done.

The table is surprisingly empty, but she sees a couple of third years eyeing it, so she sits down and they quickly back off. She finds a small bit of comfort in knowing that she’s still intimidating to some people, even if it’s only a bunch of 13-year-olds.

She lays out her books, but with no one else there, she ends up staring out the window instead. She’s not sure why she’s so morbidly fascinated with the dark sky outside.

She hears a slight noise, and she turns her gaze away from the growing storm to see Trini standing at the end of the table, apparently looking in every direction except at Kim. She remembers the earlier conversation with Billy and she sighs internally. She decides to at least make an attempt, for his sake.

“They’re not here yet,” she says, and Trini’s head practically snaps towards her. She’s not sure why the other girl is so tightly wound, but Trini just nods and sits in her usual seat. Which, of course, is nowhere near Kim.

Kim tries again. “Looks like you guys got out of practice just in time.” She gestures out the window. Trini looks out, makes a somewhat agreeing noise, and turns back to her book.

“How did that go, by the way?”

“How did what go?” Trini still doesn’t look at her, and Kim feels herself starting to get frustrated at the lack of response.

“Quidditch practice.”

“Fine.”

“Ok, what is your problem?” Kim says, exasperated, and finally, Trini looks at her. “Do you plan on just ignoring me forever?”

“Did you expect me to do something else?” she deadpans, and Kim’s temper flares.

“I don’t know, you could make conversation like a normal human being.”

“Oh that’s rich, coming from you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean,” Kim says darkly, the aggression seeping out in an attempt to hide her nervousness.

Trini raises an eyebrow. “Come on, don’t act like you actually want to talk to me. I know you’re just doing this for Billy.”

_Oh_. “Fine then, so what if I am? I’m trying to be nice, what’s wrong with that?”

“What’s wrong? It’s disingenuous, that’s what.” Trini actually looks somewhat affronted at the concept, and Kim rolls her eyes.

“Wow, you couldn’t explain that without using words less than three syllables long? That’s just unnecessary.”

“Didn’t realize I’d have to dumb it down for you. And here I thought you were one of the top students in our class.”

“Seriously? What, are you insecure or something?”

“As if,” Trini scoffs. “It may come as a surprise, but not everyone is obsessed with you. Get off your high horse, you’re not that great.”

That stings more than Kim expected it to. Trini must see it too, because her expression becomes a little more uncertain.

Kim shakes her head, looking away. “Whatever, I tried.” She thinks her attempt at sounding uncaring is successful, since Trini goes back to what she was doing too. They work in silence, the tension hanging over them. After a while, Trini takes a breath like she’s about to say something, and Kim looks up at her. As their eyes meet, Trini seems to freeze.

“’Sup, T!” They both jolt as Zack flops heavily into the seat next to Trini, the wood creaking underneath him. Jason and Billy enter the scene in a much quieter manner.

“What took you so long?” Trini asks, smacking away Zack’s hand when he tries to poke her.

“That’s my fault,” Jason admits. “I, uh, accidentally destroyed some of Professor Flitwick’s room, and he made me stay behind to clean it up. You guys didn’t have to wait for me,” he says to the other boys.

Billy shakes his head vigorously. “No, it’s fine, I didn’t want to leave without you.” His reference to only himself is not lost on the others, and Jason blushes slightly. Even Trini has a bit of a smile on her face.

Kim is thoughtful as the others devolve into quiet chatter. They’re a strange bunch, to be sure, but somehow that’s comforting to her.

* * *

Kim blows out a frustrated breath, flipping through her textbook. She and Jason had been struggling with this charms assignment for what felt like hours, but was probably only twenty minutes.

“I still can’t find it,” she grumbles.

“I know,” Jason replies. “I keep finding all sorts of different counter-spells, but nothing on non-spell charm breaking.”

“This is killing me.” She rubs her eyes tiredly.

“Ooooh, having some trouble, Hart? Thought you were the top of our class.” She gives Zack a deadpan stare as he chuckles to himself. She takes out her wand and gives it a wave, flicking Zack’s paper into his face and almost toppling him off his seat.

“Hilarious,” she says sarcastically. “And I might be first in Transfiguration, but I’m definitely not in Charms. I don’t know who is.”

She hears a little laugh from the other end of the table. Trini is shaking her head, an amused look on her face. Kim’s eyes narrow slightly.

“What’s so funny?”

“Oh, nothing.” Trini’s innocent expression only makes Kim more suspicious. After a few seconds, it clicks, and Kim’s jaw drops.

“Wait, _you’re_ at the top of our class in Charms?!” Kim’s volume gets a little out of control, and Billy quickly hushes her. She mouths a “sorry” to him, before turning back to Trini.

She gives Kim a smug look. “Not all of us flaunt our talents on an everyday basis. And besides, I like to surprise people.” She smirks, and Kim blinks at the odd show of confidence. She has to admit, she’s… impressed.

Trini nods towards Kim’s paper. “You need any help with that?” It’s obviously a baited question, and Kim glares at her in annoyance.

“We’re good, thanks,” she says drily. Jason turns to stare at her incredulously as she goes back to her work. He glances between her and Trini, clearly torn about which person to turn to for help.

“Um…” Luckily, he’s saved when Billy looks over at his paper and starts quietly walking him through his mistakes.

Kim notices Trini watching her with a curious expression on her face. She raises an eyebrow, and Trini raises hers in response. The moment is broken when Zack leans over and swipes a paper from Trini. Kim rolls her eyes, trying to focus as they scuffle on the other side of the table.

* * *

Kim and Jason are the last ones left at the table, the others having gone their separate ways a while ago. They’re packing up quietly, the light fading outside.

“So,” he starts, and she groans internally, hefting her bag on her shoulder.

“You don’t need to ask how I am every time you see me, Jace,” she says, walking to the exit. He scrambles to catch up with her.

“Wow, I’m sorry for caring,” he jokes, and she rolls her eyes, bumping him playfully with her shoulder. “But you are cool, right?” he asks, and her mouth twists in a grim smile.

“I’m as good as I can be right now. Things aren’t great, but they’re not bad, I guess. And I have you and Billy, so I’m good.”

Jason nods. “And, uh, how do you feel about Trini?”

She stops walking abruptly. “Seriously? Why does everyone keep asking me that?” she demands. “First Billy, now you. What’s the deal with her, anyways?”

“Woah,” Jason says, stepping back. “I didn’t realize it was such a sensitive topic.”

“I’m not sensitive, I’m annoyed.”

“I mean, that’s fair, but I’m genuinely curious. You guys never really talk to each other, and when you do, it ends up being stuff like earlier. I know I asked earlier, but did something happen between you guys?”

Kim sighs. “No, not really. It sort of just seems to happen. I mean, I’m trying to be nice to her, but every time I say something she gets all… snarky.”

“I don’t think that’s her being mean, I think that’s just her being… Trini.”

“Oh, so you two are buddies now?”

Jason laughs, shaking his head. “Barely,” he chuckles as they continue their walk. “I’ve talked to her a few times, but that’s pretty much it. Billy’s the one who knows her, and he seems to think she’s pretty great, so…”

A grin spreads across Kim’s face. “Ooooh, you’ve got it bad, don’t you?” she teases, and Jason groans in embarrassment.

“Shut up.”

“Nah. Besides, it’s cute, the big bad quidditch captain being all smitten about the quiet little nerd.”

“Billy’s not just a nerd, a pretty good quidditch player too, you know. He could probably make it on the team—” Jason cuts himself off at Kim’s smirk.

“You’re so smitten. You’re head over heels, admit it.”

“Or maybe,” Jason says, his eyebrows wiggling, “you’re jealous because you want me aaaall to yourself.” He drapes his arm over her shoulders, pulling her in and planting a wet, sloppy kiss on her cheek.

“Ah! Jason Lee Scott!”

“Kimberly Ann Hart!”

“You’re gross.” She wrinkles her nose, shoving him away and wiping at her cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she says as she heads down the stairs. Jason clutches his heart as she leaves.

“Farewell, my love.”

“Up yours, Scott.”

It’s not yet curfew, and Kim really doesn’t feel like going back to the common room, so she decides to walk the halls for a bit. Maybe she can find an empty classroom or music room to hang out in until she has to go back. She rounds a corner and abruptly collides with someone.

“Jesus—” she falls silent when she realizes it’s none other than Trini, who is glaring at her. The angry look does nothing to hide Trini’s red eyes, nor the tear tracks on her face.

Kim hesitates. “Hey, are you—” she never gets to finish, as Trini abruptly shoves past her and swiftly walks away. Kim almost turns to watch her go, but decides against it.

“That’s not what I expected,” she says to herself. Of course, she isn’t going to pursue Trini; they don’t know each other… well, at all. Nevertheless, she does feel slightly bothered at just letting her go like that. Trying to push it out of her mind, she continues her search.

She eventually finds an unlocked classroom and makes her way in. She sits at the professor’s desk and practices conjuring birds while silently waiting for the time to pass.

* * *

“By now, you should all be somewhat acquainted with non-verbal spell casting. Today, we will be applying those principles to defensive spells.” Professor Potter waves his wand, summoning a large number of cushions out from a closet.

“In an encounter, you might not have the time to fully say the incantation for a spell,” he says, pushing his glasses up with his free hand. “You need to be able to defend yourselves quickly and instinctively. If your opponent manages to take you by surprise, that can determine the rest of the battle. Encounter. Sorry, that sounded quite militant.” There’s a soft chuckle from the students.

“We’ll be practicing the most basic and foundational spell, the shielding charm, first. Pair up.”

Kim glances around, looking for one of the boys, when her eyes land on Trini. Against her better judgment, she walks over, grabbing her arm.

Trini flinches, whipping around, and Kim lets go. “Sorry. You want to be partners?”

Trini obviously looks towards Zack, but he’s already play-wrestling with another Gryffindor, so she sighs. “Fine.”

“So…” Kim begins awkwardly, and Trini gives her a grumpy stare. “Are, uh, are you ok?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Trini fires back, and Kim reminds herself to be patient.

She rolls her eyes. “Fine, whatever. You don’t have to be so aggressive.”

“And you don’t have to be so nosy.”

“I’m not being nosy,” Kim says, aghast. “I literally asked you a simple question.”

“Maybe I don’t like answering questions.”

“Is that it, or do you just not like me?”

“Maybe.”

Kim just sighs. They’re assigned to practice casting the shielding spell non-verbally first, before they move on to the partner exercise. They’re working quietly before Trini breaks the silence.

“Why are you so obsessed with me?”

Kim stares at her incredulously. “I beg your pardon?”

Trini shrugs nonchalantly. “I’m just saying, you keep trying to talk to me, you’re always in the same places I am…”

“That’s because we have the same friends! And we’re all stuck in the same small place.”

“Small? It’s literally a fucking castle.”

They notice that the other groups have moved on to the partner exercise, and soon the room is full of flashes of spells and the frustrated noises of dozens of seventh years unsuccessfully trying to stop themselves from getting hexed.

“Preferably non-harmful spells, please,” Professor Potter calls out. “Madam Pomfrey has seen too many of my students already.”

“Besides,” Kim says. “What’s to say you’re not the one who’s obsessed with me? It could just as easily go the other way around.”

“I don’t have time to stalk people. I have better things to do.”

“Oh yeah, like what?”

“Like nunya.”

“God, do you ever give a straight answer—” Kimberly is abruptly cut off when a force hits her in the stomach, knocking the breath out of her slightly and sending her falling into a cushion.

“Focus, Miss Hart!” Her face flushes when Professor Potter calls her out.

Trini smirks. “Yeah, focus, Kimberly.” The way Trini says her name is somehow infuriating.

Kim groans internally. _Maybe I should just give up on this girl._ She heaves herself off of the cushion, just in time for another student to go soaring into it. She sees Zack wincing at the other end of the room. “My bad.”

Professor Potter cradles his head in his hand. She hears a quiet giggle come from Trini, and Kim watches her. She finds that despite her frustration, she’s adamantly curious about this girl. Trini notices Kim watching her, and she quickly pulls her face into a neutral expression. Kim smiles a little at the almost childish concealment, and Trini raises an eyebrow before sending another hex at her. This time, Kim is prepared, and she manages to deflect it, just barely. To her surprise, this time Trini mirrors her smile.

Kim blinks. _Well, now I’m confused._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gotta love that subtextual angst, amirite? let me know how you guys think i did with Kim's POV


	6. we gon' wear the night out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The squad decides to have a night out, and Trini realizes that other people have secrets too.
> 
> Chapter Title from Calling All - Phantogram

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i noticed in the comments some of y'all wanted more trimberly interaction, so here you go! sorry bout the wait, but i really wanted to cover both trini and kim's first impressions of each other before i reaaaaally started. 
> 
> sidenote, this is probs my favorite chapter to have written so far. enjoy!

* * *

Quidditch practice had ended up being a bit of a disaster, to put it mildly. Trini wanted to blame it on the fact that it was a morning session, but everyone had seemed to be doing decently except her. She’d missed the bludger several times that day, and had almost knocked out the player she was supposed to be covering. It was downright embarrassing. At the end of practice, she left so quickly that she might as well have disapparated.

She sighs, knocking her head against the tiles of the shower wall. Dimly, she realizes that she’s been zoned out for a while. As she’s getting dressed, her stomach grumbles loudly; the morning quidditch practice had made her much hungrier than usual. She’s almost out the door when she realizes that she doesn’t have a tie.

“What the fuck,” she grumbles as she rummages through her things. “I wear the same damn tie every day, how the fuck can I lose it…”

A voice calls from the doorway. “You good?” Trini turns to see Jen watching her.

She shrugs. “Yeah, just can’t find a damn tie.”

Jen nods, before walking over to her bed. She opens a drawer and tosses a tie to Trini. “Here. You can borrow one of mine. Now come on, you’d better not miss breakfast, or as Quidditch Captain I will officially kick your ass.” She strides out, leaving Trini to follow while messily doing up her tie.

Ernie is waiting for them in the common room, their hair still wet and tumbling down his shoulders. Trini does a double take when she sees them, temporarily dazzled by their shining locks.

“Finally,” they laugh. “If there’s no more scrambled eggs when we get there, I’m blaming you.”

Jen rolls her eyes. “This is Hogwarts, you dolt. They never run out of food.” She flicks them on the back of the head.

They head to the Great Hall, Jen and Ernie conversing while Trini walks a bit off to the side. She’s lost in her thoughts when suddenly she realizes that the others have moved to flank her, one on each side. They’re both quite a bit taller than her, and she thinks that from an outside view, it looks as though they’re about to steal her lunch money.

“You’ve been awfully quiet, Tiny.” Trini sighs at the nickname that Jen insists on calling her.

Ernie smiles at her warmly. “Yeah, we’re a team! No third wheeling allowed.”

“Well, maybe I’d be more talkative if _someone_ hadn’t decided to hold a morning practice,” she replies, raising an eyebrow at Jen.

“See, I told you it wasn’t just me!”

“Oh shove off, E. Weaklings, the both of you.” Jen walks ahead, and Trini and Ernie share a conspiratory giggle.

The Hufflepuff table is decently populated, but most of the other quidditch players have left, so the three of them sit together. There’s a mildly awkward silence as they eat, with Ernie consuming more protein than Trini thought a human being was capable of.

Swallowing down a mouthful of cereal, Trini opens her mouth to say something, but decides against it. Unfortunately, Ernie, perceptive as always, noticed.

“What’s up?” they ask.

“It’s nothing,” Trini says, but Jen simply raises an eyebrow at her. She sighs. “I was just… I was wondering, why’d you pick me to be a beater? I mean, I’m not exactly the greatest at it, and—”

“Stop.” Jen sets down her cutlery and looks at her, a serious expression on her face. “One of my big rules is that there will be no self-depreciation on my team. If you’re not good at something then you don’t just talk about it, you work to get better. Secondly,” she adds, raising a finger when Trini tries to speak. “I picked you as a beater because I think you’re a valuable addition to the team. Do you think you’re in a position to be questioning your captain’s decisions?”

Trini shakes her head. “No, but—what I mean is, if you wanted me on the team, why put me as a beater? Why not seeker, or something?”

Jen doesn’t respond at first, simply reaching for her coffee and taking a leisurely sip. The mood is broken when Ernie mutters “drama queen” just loud enough for Trini to hear. Jen glares at them, but Trini is secretly grateful, as it makes her feel much less nervous.

“Why didn’t I make you seeker? I’m going to be honest: it would have been a waste. Not because you’re a bad fit for the position. It’s actually the other way around.”

“What do you mean?”

“At the tryouts, you certainly displayed agility, control, and a good awareness of the field and other players. But you also showed creativity, initiative, and drive. The seeker position is wrong for you because the seeker doesn’t come into play until late in the game. You’re someone that I’d rather have actively participating and helping control the flow of the match, not standing on the sidelines.” She sips her coffee again. “That a good enough explanation for you?”

Trini is stunned. From the sound of it, Jen had just complimented her, and she wasn’t entirely sure that this whole thing wasn’t a dream. “Uh… yeah. Yeah, that makes sense. Um, thank you?”

“Basically, if I’d put you as seeker, you probably would’ve gotten bored and quit, and that would be a waste. So I expect you to stick around now, you hear?” she goes back to eating her pancakes, not waiting for Trini to respond.

Ernie shakes their head. “Wow, that was incredibly eloquent and well thought-out, cap’. You sure you didn’t get someone to write it for you beforehand?”

“Ernest DiMarco, I swear to God…”

The two continue to bicker, and Trini just laughs at their antics. As strange of a pair as they may be, Trini has become quite fond of Ernie and Jen. Jen tries to lunge at Ernie, and Trini practically dives across the table to stop her from knocking over a pitcher of pumpkin juice. After finishing breakfast, they all clear up and head their separate ways.

* * *

The day’s classes are a train wreck; Trini is so tired from morning practice that she can barely keep her eyes open, let alone pay attention to anything during History of Magic. She slogs her way through the day and finds herself heading to the library on autopilot.

“…-ini. Trini! OI, CRAZY GIRL!”

She finally registers the voice calling her name, as well as the bewildered stares from the other students in the hallway. She turns around, and is confused to see Zack jogging up to her, with Jason, Billy, and Kimberly in the background.

“Hey, you going deaf or something?” Zack jokes, before coming closer and seeing the bleary look in her eyes. “Oh damn, you ok?”

She rubs at her eyes with one hand. “Yeah, sorry, just tired from morning practice.”

Zack makes a sympathetic noise. “We’ve all been there.”

“Why are you guys heading in the opposite direction of the library?”

“Oh, the others wanted to go outside.” She looks past him to see Billy and Jason waving at her.

“It’s nice and sunny out!” Billy calls.

“You don’t have to come with,” Zack adds, to her surprise. “Not that we don’t want you there, but like, you look like a zombie.”

She shrugs. “Eh, I’ll go. I can always take a nap out there.”

They walk back to join the rest of the group. Trini must be very visibly tired, because no one really tries to force her to talk. She’s content to just follow their rhythm and listen to Billy explain the day’s Potions class to Zack.

The sun is shining, but not blindingly so, and there are enough clouds that it’s still quite cool out. They find a nice, shady patch of grass, and Trini promptly drops her bag and flops down, curling on her side.

“Zack, if you draw anything on me, I’ll murder you,” she mumbles sleepily, and she hears a chuckle from the group.

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t do anything crazy,” she hears Jason say, and she mumbles something in response, too tired to form any more words. She hears Billy and Kimberly’s voices start to say something, but she’s already drifting off.

She wakes up some time later, the sun shining on her face. Grumbling, she rolls over, shading her eyes. There’s something soft under her head, and she opens her eyes the tiniest bit to see that someone had placed their robe under her head as a pillow.

“Good afternoon, Trini! Well, late-afternoon, really.” Billy is facing her, the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up. Trini sits up, stretching out her neck.

“Heya,” she says, reaching behind her for the robe. “I’m assuming this is yours?” Billy nods, and she hands it over. “Thanks.”

“How long was I out?” she yawns, stretching her arms out.

“Two years.” She rolls her eyes and flips the finger in the direction of Zack’s voice

“No, it was only approximately 26 minutes, which, coincidentally, is the optimal length of a power nap,” Billy explains.

The sun is obscured by the clouds by now, and Trini takes a proper look around her surroundings. They’ve arranged themselves in a sort of circle on the grass. Jason is sitting next to Billy, and Kim’s head is in his lap (Trini has to stop herself from rolling her eyes at the display). Zack, true to his nature, seems to be taking up as much space as possible while still fitting into the circle. There’s a pile of shredded grass sitting next to him

“About time too,” he quips, plucking some more grass from the ground. “We were just about to talk about Hogsmeade this weekend.”

Billy frowns. “Um, Zack? Could you please stop that? It’s just, you’re gonna damage the grass and create an uneven patch on the grounds.”

“I got you, my bad, B.” Zack sits up, dusting dirt and blades of grass off of his hands. “Anyhow, we’re all going out, right? Right?” He looks around expectantly.

Jason shrugs. “Yeah, I’m game.” Billy nods, brushing his hands over the grass experimentally, before shuddering slightly and placing them back in his lap.

Trini is hesitant. “I mean, I guess…”

“Oh, don’t be like that, T.” Zack reaches over and grabs at her ankle. “It’ll be fun! Besides, you don’t want to miss the first quidditch get-together.”

“Get off.” She shakes loose of his grip, and he sticks his tongue out at her. “And what do you mean ‘quidditch get-together’?”

“It’s an informal thing,” Jason explains. “The quidditch teams all like to hang out at the Three Broomsticks on Hogsmeade nights. It’s just a fun thing we do, it’s sort of like neutral territory. Did no one on the Hufflepuff team mention it?”

Trini shrugs, looking away awkwardly. “I don’t know. Maybe. I was probably too tired to listen.”

“Anyhow,” Zack continues, “It’s awesome, and totally worth it, and it’ll be your first time! C’mon, I’ll buy your first round.” He gives her the most exaggerated puppy-dog eyes, and she sighs.

“Fine. But only for one round.”

“That’s what you say _now_ , but three rounds later…” Zack wiggles his eyebrows, and everyone in the circle groans.

“Keep it in your pants, Taylor,” Kimberly says, and Trini feels a weird sense of discomfort wash over her.

“So, what time will we meet?” Billy chimes in. “10?” There’s a chorus of agreement that’s broken by Zack’s dramatic gasp.

“10?! In the AM?! If you think I’m getting out of bed that early, on a Saturday, you must be out of your mind.”

Billy blinks. “10 AM is… early for you?”

“I want to sleep in,” Zack complains. “Can’t we meet later?”

“Hm…” Kimberly looks up in mock thought before smirking at him. “Nah. Either meet at 10, or you’re on your own.”

“But I don’t want to go alone,” Zack whines, flopping onto his back petulantly. Trini sighs in exasperation at his childish antics, before relenting.

“I’ll go with him.” The eyes of the circle turn to her curiously, and she gives them a confused look. “What? I wanna sleep in too.”

“See? Crazy Girl gets me.” Zack grins at her upside-down, and she gives him a half-smile in return.

Trini stands, brushing off the grass clinging to her robes. “Well, if we’re gonna be out all Saturday, I should probably get a head start on my work.”

“Booooring,” Zack teases. Jason just shakes his head.

“See you later,” Kimberly says, and Trini is a little surprised at the unexpected farewell. She waves goodbye to the group before heading back to the Hufflepuff common room to start her work. After taking another well-deserved nap, of course.

* * *

Trini wakes up Saturday morning feeling much more refreshed, thanks to the extra sleep. She’s stretching her arms out when a thud startles her. She jolts upright, hand flailing slightly for her wand.

“Oh look, Sleeping Tiny is awake.” Across the room, Jen gives her a skeptical stare. She’s wearing a shirt, but no trousers, and Trini stares blankly before the rest of her brain catches up.

“Oh! Jen.” She quickly looks away on the pretense of finding her wand. “What are you doing here? Thought everyone would have left by now.”

“Eh. Got a morning detention. Just my luck, on Hogsmeade day, too.” Jen steps into a skirt while Trini gets out of bed. “You heading out?”

“Yeah, I’m meeting some people.”

“Well, you should come to the Three Broomsticks later tonight. The team likes to hang out there, it’s good bonding. Give it some thought.” Jen flips her hair over her shoulder. “See you later, T,” she says as she walks out the door.

Trini takes a quick shower before getting dressed, throwing on some jeans, a t-shirt, and a jacket. She’s looking for her beanie before she remembers that it was lost in the lake during that fateful detention. With a dejected sigh, she grabs her things and heads down the stairs.

Ernie is seated on the couch, a book on their lap, and their hair drawn into a messy bun. “Good morning, Trini!” they greet her.

“Morning, Ernie. Not in the mood for Hogsmeade?”

They laugh sheepishly. “Ah, I’m a bit behind on my readings. Plus, I’ve got some other business, if you know what I mean.” They tap the side of their nose and wink.

“Uh… not really, but I don’t think I want to know.”

“Fair enough. I’ll probably be at Sticks tonight though, if you’re going.”

“Yeah, I plan on being there.”

“Great! Try not to have too much fun before I get there. Be safe!”

They wave her off and Trini heads to the gates, still a little bemused by their conversation.

As she expected, Zack isn’t there when she reaches the gates. Hagrid is standing there as she approaches.

“’Ello, Miss Gomez!” He rumbles in a big, friendly voice, and she smiles. “You headin’ off to Hogsmeade, eh?”

“I will be, once my friend gets here.” She leans against the gates, the cold metal pressing through her jacket. A breeze flows by, ruffling her hair, and she shivers.

“Still haven’t gotten yer hat back, I see,” Hagrid notes, and she runs a hand through her hair self-consciously.

“Yeah, it’s alright though. I can get another one.”

“You’ll be needin’ it, with this cold weather comin’ up.”

They wait in comfortable silence for a while before Trini spots a dark figure racing down the path. Zack sprints down, practically slipping on the cold ground, before coming to a halt.

“Overslept,” he pants, and Trini laughs a little at him. He’s sporting a very fashionable bedhead, and he’s clad in a white shirt and black jeans, with a leather jacket to boot.

“You’re lucky I didn’t leave without you.” They say goodbye to Hagrid before heading down to Hogsmeade, Zack still trying to catch his breath.

The square is bustling with students of all ages when they get there. There are snowballs flying left and right, and one of them hits a window, causing a wizened old man to shove it open and begin yelling indecipherable words while shaking his fist. Bright displays shine through the shop windows, and light noises echo down the high street. It’s a welcome change from the mildly stuff insides of the castle, and it feels more domestic than any town that Trini’s family has lived in. It’s certainly a bit loud and raucous, but there’s a homely air to the whole village that makes up for it.

“So, where to first?” Trini asks, right as Zack’s stomach grumbles. They both laugh.

“Well, I forgot to eat breakfast, so food first.”

They head down the high street, and Trini has to practically drag Zack away from Honeydukes (“You are _not_ having candy for breakfast, we’ll come back later.”). They stop at Madam Puddifoot’s for tea, and Zack compromises by ordering a slice of chocolate and almond cake.

“So, do you not normally come out during Hogsmeade days?” Zack asks her through a mouthful of cake.

“Sometimes. I’m not exactly the biggest fan of crowds. Besides, I’m almost 18, so technically I’m allowed to come here whenever I want. I don’t see why I should wait until the whole school is out.”

“Um, because it’s more exciting?” Zack gestures to all the people sitting in the shop, and she kicks him in the shin to stop drawing attention to them. “Ow. C’mon though, you can’t deny that it’s more interesting with more people.”

“I guess,” she admits. “But when you’re spending the day alone either way, it doesn’t make much of a difference.” She notices Zack stops chewing at that, and she quickly busies herself with taking a bite of her scone.

To her relief, Zack doesn’t address her remark. After finishing their tea, Zack adamantly insists that they visit Honeydukes and Zonko’s, in that order. He convinces her to sample several of the newer sweets to see her reaction (she punches him after trying the Shock-o-Choco). They also bond over watching the other students trying the allegedly “spicy” Pepper Imps.

“Oh man,” Zack laughs as they watch one kid run around with fire spewing from his mouth. “I can’t believe people actually think those things are hot.”

“I know, right? But to be fair, I’m Mexican, so it’s like, kiddy levels of spice to me.” Trini pops one in her mouth, smoothly blowing out the flames.

“Nice,” Zack nods, opening a chocolate frog. “And this is nothing compared to Szechuan food. Now _that_ stuff is spicy.”

“Truth.”

They’re heading down to Zonko’s when Zack stops them.

“Oh, hang on a second, I just gotta get something real quick. I’ll be out in like, two seconds.” He dashes into the local potions shop, and she watches him curiously. She feels awkward standing in the middle of the street, so she decides to open a cauldron cake. She’s removing the wrapper when she spots Kimberly Hart coming down the sidewalk towards her.

Oddly enough, Kimberly has a somewhat morose expression on her face. She doesn’t seem to be paying much attention to her surroundings. Trini is tempted to just let her be, but she notices another student bump into her roughly. They say something over their shoulder as they leave, and Trini can’t make out what it was, but she does notice the way Kimberly’s shoulders tense when she hears it.

“Hey,” she says, but the other girl doesn’t seem to hear her. She fidgets slightly before trying again. “Kimberly.”

This time, she definitely hears her, and Kimberly looks around in confusion before her eyes find Trini. She seems genuinely surprised, but she walks over.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

There’s an awkward silence, during which Trini is silently kicking the shit out of herself in her head. She remembers the pastry in her hands, and she holds it out between them.

“Want to split it with me?” she asks abruptly.

Kimberly eyes her warily. “Um. Sure,” she says. Trini hands her half of the cake, not meeting her eyes.

“I thought you’d be with the boys,” Trini says.

“We split up, said we’d meet later at the Three Broomsticks. What about you? I thought you’d be with Zack.”

“Yeah, he’s in there.” She gestures to the shop. “We just got out of Honeydukes. Had a lot of fun watching all the white people trying Pepper Imps.”

Kimberly laughs a little through a mouthful of cake, lifting her hand to block a spray of crumbs. “Sorry. But yeah, that is pretty funny. I mean, I love Hogwarts, but it makes me miss the spices from home.”

“Tell me about it. Just don’t let the house elves hear you say that. I accidentally let it slip once, and there was so much crying.”

“Yikes. I get where they’re coming from, though. I mean, if someone came into my house and insulted my cooking, I’d probably feel a little offended too.”

“Hey, I’ve already processed the guilt, don’t make me relive it again.”

Kimberly just smirks at her, taking another bite of the pastry. The silence falls again, and just like that, the mood is broken and they’re back to awkwardness. Trini is wondering what just happened when Zack saunters out of the potions shop.

“You miss me, Crazy Girl?” He sees Kim, and his grin somehow gets wider. “Heeeey Kimmy!”

She rolls her eyes. “Hello to you too, Zack.” She dusts the crumbs off of her hands. “Well, I’ll leave you two to it. See you at the Three Broomsticks?”

“Yeah, we’ll see you there.” Trini watches Kimberly walk away. She had originally assumed that Kimberly was going to be like any other popular girl, but evidently there is something else there. It’s just hard to figure out, especially since Kimberly is so cryptic and unpredictable.

“What’re you lookin' at, hm?” Zack nudges her, and she throws a light elbow to his stomach in response.

“Just wondering what she’s doing out here all alone. Like, why isn’t she with the boys? Or other people?”

“Sometimes people just need some time to themselves. You get it, right?”

Trini hums in response. “Well, are we going to Zonko’s, or what?”

“Oh, we are most _definitely_ going to Zonko’s. Gotta pick up some ammo for tonight.”

Trini’s eyes widen. “Tonight? Ok, you really have to give me the rundown on what’s gonna happen, because if this turns out to be some elaborate hazing ritual or some shit, I’m breaking into Gryffindor Tower and smothering you and Jason in your sleep.”

Zack spins to face her, walking backwards down the street. “Relax, T. We’re not pulling your leg, it really is a pretty chill thing. It’s just that sometimes we like to spice it up. Nothing too serious, of course, otherwise Madam Rosmerta would kick the living shit out of all of us.” Trini is still skeptical.

Their choice of purchases is highly limited by the rules of the Three Broomsticks establishment, but they manage to select a good variety of prank sweets to slip to their teammates. Trini even decides to splurge on a Boxing Telescope, with the express intent of one day using it on Zack.

As it grows dark outside, they decide to head over to the Three Broomsticks. Despite Zack’s many reassurances, Trini is still quite nervous. Her anxiety only increases as they draw near, the noise from the Inn reaching them from quite a ways down the street.

“Trust me, it’ll be fine,” Zack says as he opens the door for her. Taking a deep breath, Trini steps inside.

She’s immediately hit with a wave of heat and sound. The inside is considerably spacious, but all of the Hogwarts quidditch players are quickly filling the establishment. Some of them have clearly gotten a head start on the celebrations, their cheeks rosy and their laughter echoing. The atmosphere is just shy of chaotic, and Trini feels intimidated.

“Over there,” Zack half yells into her ear, and she looks to where he’s pointing to see Jason and Billy sitting at a table with a group of other students, mostly Gryffindors. The boys wave them over, and they make their way through the growing crowd.

“You made it,” Jason laughs, pulling Zack in for a one-armed hug, his other hand holding a pint of butterbeer. Billy quickly scoots over to make room for them.

“I’ll be right back,” Zack says, before disappearing into the throng. Trini stuffs her hands into her jacket pockets, intensely aware of the eyes on her.

“How’re you doing, Billy?” she says, turning to her friend. He gives her a weak smile, his fingers drawing circles on the rim of his glass.

“I’m good. These things are usually fun, but they can be a bit… much.” He stops his fidgeting to take a sip of his drink before continuing. “It’s nice, though.”

She nods. “Believe me, I get it. Let me know if you want to step outside, yeah?” He nods gratefully at her.

Someone approaches the table, stumbling slightly through the crowd. Trini recognizes that it’s Jen, and she looks more relaxed than Trini even thought possible. She leans against the table in front of Jason.

“What, you too cool for the rest of us, Scott? Are you gonna come join the party, or are you just gonna brood in the corner forever?” The cheeky smile on her face is completely at odds with her words, and Trini knows Jen enough to realize that she’s not actually being mean.

Jason laughs, moving to stand. “I was waiting for some friends, but now that they’re here, the party can really get started.” A few cheers come from the people who overheard, and the table raises their drinks in a toast. Jen’s eyes land on Trini, and they light up.

“Gomez! Hey, c’mon, get over here.” Trini glances around warily, but the rest of the table is encouraging her, and Jason is waving her over. Tentatively, she moves to stand next to them, and nearly falls over when Jen unexpectedly throws her arm over Trini’s shoulder.

“LISTEN UP!” Jen hollers, and the crowd quickly quiets down. Trini can feel her heartbeat start to race, and she’s sure her face is turning red, but Jen has a firm grip on her, and she can’t run away. She looks to Jason, a little panicked, but he just winks in response.

“I would like to introduce to you all… the newest addition to the Hufflepuff quidditch team: Tiny Gomez!” There’s a resounding roar that Trini hopes is congratulatory. She’s so preoccupied that she barely registers that Jen didn’t use her actual name.

She’s about to correct her when someone from the crowd yells “Eyy, you know what that means!” There’s another rumble through the crowd, and Trini’s stomach tightens.

Suddenly, Zack shoulders his way through the crowd. “Way ahead of you,” he calls out, holding up a tray with several shot glasses on it. The crowd cheers.

Jen shakes her a little, startling her out of her nervousness. “It’s a tradition,” she explains. “Newbies and captains take shots together.”

Zack sets the tray down on the table in front of them, and the smell of firewhisky wafts up, making her wrinkle her nose. He positions three shots in front of each of them.

Jason raises his hand. “Alright. You guys ready?” He looks to her for confirmation, and she takes a deep breath before nodding. Jen is looking at her with a challenging smirk.

“Ready… Set… Go!”

One of the Gryffindors chuckles. “This is gonna be goo—Oh holy shit!” The crowd is in an uproar as Trini confidently grabs a shot and downs it in one go. She’s grateful that Zack didn’t get doubles, as she downs the next one. She doesn’t make a face until after the third shot, finishing a split second before Jen does.

The crowd goes absolutely wild. Several hands are pounding her on the back, and Trini groans, afraid that they’ll bring the firewhisky back up. Eventually, Zack, Jason, and Jen manage to push the crowd back to give her some space.

“Holy fuck,” Jason says in amazement. Billy quickly offers her some of his butterbeer, which she immediately accepts. “Where the hell did you learn to do that?”

“I’m Mexican,” she rasps in between sips, and Zack practically falls over cackling.

Jen gives her a very enthusiastic pat on the shoulder. “Knew I made the right choice picking you, Gomez. I owe you a drink now.”

“And you owe me some sickles.”

“Fuck you, Scott.”

* * *

Trini’s not sure if it’s the environment, or just the firewhisky, but she’s feeling less and less nervous as time passes. The rest of the Hufflepuff team had made their way over earlier, and they’d gotten properly acquainted. Jen had a habit of never using anyone’s actual name, so it was interesting to find out exactly who was on the team.

Another added bonus was that people had been so impressed with her earlier display that people had been offering to buy her drinks all night. Eventually she started turning down the offers, otherwise she wouldn’t be sober enough to make it back to the castle.

“You want another drink, Billy?” she asks him, not wanting her friend to feel left out. He smiles, shaking his head.

“No, I’m good.” He fidgets nervously for a second before standing, a bit abruptly. “Actually, I’m gonna step outside for a second.” He doesn’t wait for a response before weaving through the crowd.

Trini lets him go, but makes a mental note to check on him in a few minutes. She heads over to the bar to get a drink of water.

She’s looking for an open space when she sees a familiar bob of hair. She manages to squeeze past several people, accidentally stepping on a few toes, before reaching the girl sitting at the bar.

“Drinking alone?” she asks, and Kimberly turns, blinking with surprise.

“Hello to you too,” she says with a smile, taking another sip of her drink. Trini isn’t sure what it is, but she’s fairly certain that it’s stronger than butterbeer. “Good show earlier, by the way. I bet you had all the boys swooning in their seats.”

Trini rolls her eyes. “If they were swooning, I have a feeling that’s due more to the firewhisky than me.” Kimberly chuckles at that.

“You know,” Trini says cautiously, “being antisocial is kind of my thing? So maybe you should get back to your team or whatever, because I’m starting to feel like your creeping on my territory now.”

Kimberly’s smile falters at that, and she sighs. “Don’t really feel like hanging out with them at the moment.”

“And why is that?”

“Reasons.”

“Like?”

Kim looks at her, raising an eyebrow. “Like nunya,” she responds cheekily.

Trini shakes her head. “I deserve that.” After a moment, she speaks again. “I’m sorry, by the way. For being kind of a bitch that time. I was just having a weird day.”

Kimberly shrugs. “It’s in the past, so it’s whatever.” That sentence seems to bother her, because she takes another long sip of her drink, only to make a disappointed noise when she realizes her glass is empty. She flags down the bartender.

“What can I get ye?” he asks, and Kimberly is about to speak when Trini interrupts.

“Two butterbeers, please. Oh, and a glass of water.” The bartender nods and walks off to get their drinks. Kimberly glances at her.

“Wow. Rude, much?”

“Hey, I don’t know what’s in that drink, but it’s definitely not something to be consumed unsupervised. Besides, the boys are probably wondering where you are.” The bartender comes back, setting down three pint glasses in front of them. Trini pays before grabs her butterbeer and water. She shoots the other girl a look. “Are you really gonna turn down a free drink?”

Kim’s lips twist for a moment. Then, with a sigh, she grabs the glass and follows Trini back to the table.

She can see that they’re drawing some curious looks, some of them confused and some of them suspicious. Luckily, Jason and Zack are there to give them a warm welcome, asking Kimberly where she was. Billy joins them after a while, and Trini notices that Kimberly is slowly loosening up, until she’s doubled over with laughter like the rest of them.

She notices Jason looking at her. He mouths “thank you”, and gives her a thumbs up. She’s not really sure why he’s thanking her, but she gives him a thumbs up in return, before going back to sipping her drink, the warmth of the laughter and the room lulling her into a sense of comfort.

* * *

Trini wakes up the next morning with a raging headache. She groans, rolling over and pulling a pillow over her head to block out the light. A large clunk sound radiates through her head, and she winces.

“Good morning, sunshine.” She peeks one eye out to glare at Ernie. She notices that they’ve brought a glass of water, and she sluggishly drags herself into a semi-upright position. They hand her the water, and she mumbles her thanks before draining over half of it in one go.

“What’re you doing here?” she rasps, wiping her mouth on the back of her sleeve. She realizes that she’s still in her clothes from last night. “You’re not a girl.”

“Special privileges, I guess.” They reach over and lightly tug on something that Trini vaguely feels is wrapped around her head. It turns out be a Gryffindor tie. Ernie raises an eyebrow.

“Probably Zack,” she grumbles. They nod, placing it on the bed.

“Well, I’ll leave you to get yourself sorted out then,” they say, a mischievous twinkle in their eye. “Hate to break it to you, but tradition mandates no magical cures for the post-initiation hangover. However,” they add when Trini practically sobs, “there will be some coffee waiting for you downstairs. See you soon, or in an hour, judging by your current state.”

“This was the worst idea ever,” Trini moans, drinking the rest of the water. Ernie chuckles.

“Just be grateful Jen didn’t schedule practice today.” Trini flops back down defeated, while Ernie’s laugh trails behind them.


	7. i'm in need of something good right now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title: Handclap by Fitz and the Tantrums

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been 84 years since i last updated.... but i'm back, and things are finally starting to get gay in this fic. i couldn't manage to come up with a coherent chapter summary, so i'll just add one later.

* * *

Trini starts noticing a change in her routine. Normally, the days usually seem to blur together in a sort of haze, passing both incredibly quickly and agonizingly slowly. Now though, it’s like things have slowed down just enough for her to see everything around her.

It helps that she’s kept decently busy with quidditch and studying, not to mention hanging out with her new friends (she thinks they’ve known each other long enough to be friends, now). She has less time to isolate herself and brood. It certainly makes her more tired, but that also makes it easier for her to fall asleep at night.

The constant social interaction isn’t a bad thing, per se, but it is a bit of a jarring change. Trini isn’t used to being noticed so much. More than that, she’s not used to having people who look for her. Whether it’s Jen after morning practice, or Zack before they head to the library, the idea that people are acknowledging her existence is… interesting.

For example, in Herbology, Professor Longbottom had assigned them the arduous and incredibly painful task of trimming the Snargaluffs for the Fifth Year classes. Trini is busy sizing up the plants to find which one is the least deadly when two large hands clap down on her shoulders, causing her to jump.

“Found you,” Zack’s voice says in her ear, and she groans in mock despair.

“As if I don’t see enough of you already.”

“You know you love looking at this handsome face, T. Now come on, we’re gonna take on the biggest one.” This time, the despair she feels is real.

Jason is waiting by the Snargaluff stump with a mildly pained look on his face, and Billy is eyeing the plant nervously, fiddling with his gloves.

“Now the party can get started!” Zack declares while Trini sulks by his side.

“Remind me why I agreed to this, again?”

“For the glory, Jace. We’re Gryffindors, it’s what we do.”

“We’re not Gryffindors,” Billy pipes up, scooting over to stand by Trini. “So if you don’t mind, I think we’ll just—”

“No take backs, dude. We’re doing this!” Zack’s confidence is not reassuring in the slightest, and Billy and Trini share a glance.

“It was worth a try, B.” Trini takes a deep breath, readying her clippers, while Zack seems to be brandishing a variety of different rakes and retractors. Jason looks like he just made the worst decision of his life.

“Ready… Go!” Zack promptly dives at the Snargaluff, and the others scramble to catch up and make sure that he doesn’t get himself seriously injured.

After several near-death experiences, and what seemed like an endless amount of spiny vines, the Snargaluff is reduced to an appropriate size for 15-year-old children to be handling, and they retreat to the corner of the greenhouse to nurse their injuries.

“Told you we could do it,” Zack crows triumphantly as they’re dismissed. Despite the numerous scratches on his face, he gives Trini a big smile.

She pouts. “We just got our asses kicked by a plant, how are you still so chipper?”

“I don’t know about you guys, but I found it to be an exhilarating experience.”

“Well, you’re not wrong,” Billy says, frowning as he plucks some spines out of his robes. “There were quite a few times I feared for my life, if you can call that exhilarating. Ow!”

“But did you die, though?”

“No. Obviously.”

“See? All good.”

Jason notices Trini starting to drift off from the rest of the group. “Trini,” he calls, and the other boys turn to look. “You coming to the library later?”

She nods. “Yeah, I just left some of my reference books in the common room. I’ll see you guys there.”

“You better, because I totally wasn’t paying attention during Divination, so I’ll need your help.”

“That’s your own damn fault, Taylor.” She hears the boys start to poke fun at each other as she leaves, and she smiles to herself.

It’s certainly a change. But it’s not necessarily an unwelcome one.

* * *

Billy and Zack are waiting for her when she gets to the pitch. She easily catches the quaffle that Zack hurls her way, throwing it straight back to him. He’s surprised at first, but he quickly recovers, grinning at her devilishly.

“ _Damn_ , Crazy Girl,” he chuckles, tossing the ball in his hand. “ Quidditch training is definitely paying off. I’m excited to see what else you’ve got in store.” After a moment’s though, he wiggles his eyebrows suggestively, and she groans.

“Gross, dude, it’s way too early for you to be popping a boner over quidditch.” She notices Billy surreptitiously sneak a concerned glance at Zack’s crotch, and it’s not long before they’re both practically on the ground laughing.

Zack looks between his two laughing friends, confused. “Wait, did I miss something? What’s happening?” Trini can’t catch her breath to form words, and Billy just shakes his head sheepishly.

“You two are clearly in cahoots about something, and honestly? It’s kind of terrifying.”

They’ve been goofing around for a bit when Billy suddenly comes to a halt. Trini almost crashes into him, and Zack barely stops himself from hitting Billy in the face with the quaffle. Billy, bless his soul, barely notices, as he waves at the seemingly empty entrance to the pitch.

“Hey!” he yells out, and Trini and Zack share an equally lost look. Billy turns back to them and notices their confused expressions. “What? It’s Kim, she’s over there,” he says, pointing over his shoulder. Trini looks again, and this time she can make out a small figure leaning against the wall of the boundaries.

“Should we go say hi? I’m gonna go say hi.” Before the others can respond, he’s flying down to meet her. Zack looks at her, and they both shrug before following after him.

“Clearly you guys haven’t been training hard enough, if you’ve still got the energy to play quidditch at this ungodly hour.” Kimberly smirks, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Zack makes an indignant noise, and Billy laughs, before immediately launching into a conversation with Kim, who takes it all in stride.

Trini hangs back a little as the boys talk with her. After spending so much time around each other, Trini thinks she and Kimberly are starting to approach something close to friendship, especially after seeing her in Hogsmeade. She still hasn’t gotten to know Kimberly nearly as well as she knows the boys, but there certainly isn’t the same animosity that was present when they first met.

That doesn’t mean she feels any more at ease around her, though. She used to feel almost… threatened whenever Kimberly was around, like this sort of intense discomfort mixed with fear. She’s no longer afraid of her, but that slight discomfort still remains. There’s just something about being around Kimberly that makes Trini feel like she’s constantly caught off guard. It’s fine when she’s concentrating on something else, but every time Kimberly catches her attention, it leaves her feeling—

There’s a hint of motion, and Trini comes back to focus just in time to see Kimberly tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. Trini blinks, suddenly distracted, and she scrambles to regain her train of thought.

It leaves her feeling _confused_.

“So what brings you out here?” Trini gradually tunes back in, and she realizes that the question was directed at Kimberly.

“Felt like getting some fresh air,” she replies breezily, and the boys seem to take her at face value. But Trini remembers seeing Kimberly sitting alone at the Three Broomsticks, how she was walking through Hogsmeade by herself, and she knows that nine times out of ten, it’s more complicated than just ‘getting some fresh air’. In that moment, she makes a split-second decision.

“Since you’re out here, you should play with us.”

As soon as she says it, she regrets how juvenile the phrasing was, and how awkwardly she jumped into the conversation. All eyes turn to her, and she tries to act nonchalant, shrugging and looking to the side to avoid eye contact. She’s unsuccessful, it seems, because Zack seems to be giving her a peculiar sort of side-eye.

“I mean, it would give us an even number, so we could have two teams,” Billy adds. “Cause, you know, it’s not as fair when it’s two versus one.”

Kimberly bites her lip in thought, and Trini, for some reason, feels the intense need to either stare or look away. She chooses the latter, which leads her to look directly into Zack’s eyes, as his side-eyeing has progressed to full-on suspicious staring. She gives him a stern look, mouthing “what”, and he quickly turns away.

“Yeah, Kim, it’ll be fun. Besides, it’ll be good practice for the GvS game.” They all stare at Zack, perplexed. He frowns. “Gryffindor versus Slytherin? I mean, you can’t expect me to say the full thing every time.”

“That’s true, it’s a few too many syllables for you to manage.” Kimberly’s comment draws a small laugh from Trini, and she quickly hides it behind her usual blank expression when the others look at her. Zack raises an eyebrow, and she feels the sudden urge to punch him. But Kimberly is giving her a small smile, and she decides that punching Zack isn’t quite a priority at the moment.

Kimberly nods. “Alright, sure. Why not.”

Billy manages to clap his hands without dropping his broom. “Right, so, are you gonna go get your broom, or…?”

Kimberly gives him a sly grin, before taking her wand out of her sleeve and giving it a wave. There’s a large crashing noise, and the sound of splintering wood, before a broom shoots out to hover next to Kimberly. They all look in the direction where it came from, and Kimberly winces.

“Oops. I’ll fix it later.” Without a second glance, she kicks off, followed shortly by Billy.

Trini is smiling to herself when she notices Zack staring at her again. “So,” he drawls, wiggling his eyebrows. Trini contemplates him for a moment before casually kneeing him in the side of the leg.

Zack stumbles, clutching his now tingling limb. “Why,” he moans.

“Your face was looking suspiciously pain-free.”

Eventually, they join the other two in the air. In the spirit of fairness, Billy puts Zack and Kim on opposite teams, since they’re both somewhat veteran players. Trini is grateful that she’s paired with Zack, since it’ll be easier to work with him. On the other hand, this now means that she’s going up against Kimberly, and if she’s anything like Zack, it was gonna be a pretty legit match.

As it turns out, Kimberly isn’t just good at quidditch: she’s _amazing_. Instead of just having a casual game, Trini actually finds herself working hard to keep up. She and Zack vibe pretty well as a team, but Kim and Billy are still kicking their asses.

It doesn’t help that Trini is a little off her game. In her defense, she’s never seen Kimberly play before, and it’s a little hard to watch and fly at the same time. Kimberly, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to be having any trouble at all. And Trini has to admit, Kimberly is probably the best flyer out of all of them. Zack is probably the most powerful, and most… unpredictable, and Billy is the most technical, but Kimberly flies with a natural ease and elegance. It’s almost mesmerizing, and Trini can’t help but admire her.

Zack has the quaffle, and he’s racing down towards the goalposts. Billy is keeping close to her on defense, but she manages to shake him off with a sudden swerve that’s undeniably a trademark Zack Taylor move. She hears Billy’s impressed whoop as she darts out to make herself open for a pass, catching a straight toss from Zack. She feels a breeze on her other side, and she looks to see Kimberly flanking her.

“Nice one,” Kimberly compliments her with a smile, and Trini’s heart practically stops—because her grip on the quaffle had somehow loosened, and she almost dropped it completely, fumbling. It’s enough of a mistake that Kimberly is able to swipe it from her, swiftly making a U-turn and heading across the pitch. Trini shakes her head, her ears burning, as she hears Zack yell “Come on, T!”

They’re all so caught up in the game that they don’t realize how much time has passed until they hear the castle bells clanging.

“Shit,” Trini swears. “Already?” They immediately head straight out of the pitch, the four of them jogging to get back to their dorms before breakfast starts.

Halfway to the castle, Kimberly suddenly screeches to a halt, a look of alarm on her face. Billy looks about nervously. “What?” he asks.

Kimberly stares at him. “I forgot about the broom closet.” They all recall the damage she had caused by summoning her broom.

There’s a pause, and then Kimberly makes a face and keeps running. “Someone else’s problem now!” The others hurry to catch up.

“Damn,” Zack pants. “She’s just as crazy as you, T.”

The comparison makes Trini’s stomach twist in an unfamiliar way. She shakes it off as they race back to the castle.

* * *

Although she had fun earlier, Trini is really starting to regret it. She spent way too much energy, and now she feels like she could eat an entire feast and then sleep for twelve hours. She’s just awake enough to pile food onto her plate, and she isn’t fully aware of what’s going on around her, so it takes her a few seconds to register that Zack and Jason are suddenly sitting across from.

“Oh hell,” she sputters, dropping her cutlery. The boys laugh at her reaction, but she silences them with a glare, going back to eating her breakfast.

Jason raises an eyebrow, glancing at her plate. “Damn, Trini, what kind of workout were you doing this morning?”

Before she can say anything, Zack gasps dramatically, turning to face his friend. “Jason,” he says, aghast, “you should never comment on a person’s appetite! Rude!”

Trini puts on a similarly affronted expression. “Yeah, dude. What, were you raised in a barn or something?”

“I-… What… I was just-” Jason stutters with a deer in the headlights look. After a few moments of watching him fumble, Zack finally reaches over to ruffle Jason’s hair.

“We’re just kidding man,” he chortles, and Jason shakes him off. He’s unsure as he looks to Trini for confirmation. The corner of her mouth quirks in a half-smile, and he sighs, relieved.

“So are you two just gonna sit there and watch me eat?” she says.

“Fair point, Crazy Girl.” Zack reaches out and snags a chocolate croissant off a nearby platter, taking a huge bite and littering the table in front of him with crumbs. Jason rolls his eyes as he grabs some toast and eggs.

Trini shifts in her seat nervously. It technically isn’t against the rules to sit at other houses’ tables during breakfast, but it isn’t exactly a common occurrence. It’s going to seem even weirder for Jason Scott and Zack Taylor to be sitting next to some random nobody at the Hufflepuff table. The boys don’t seem to be bothered, and Trini forces herself to relax a little.

“How are you still so alive after this morning?” she asks Zack, who is chewing on what is probably his second or third breakfast pastry. “I’m exhausted.”

Zack covers his mouth with his hand as he swallows. “I’ve got amazing stamina,” he answers, and Trini prays that that’s all, but in true Zack fashion, he follows it with a wink. Trini slowly puts her head down on the table, and she hears Jason groan.

“C’mon Zack, we’re eating.”

“Well, I’m not the one with my mind in the gutter, here. Blame yourselves.”

The solid table feels incredibly comfy to Trini’s tired brain, and she’s tempted to just drift off into a quick nap when she hears another voice approaching.

“Didn’t expect to find a Gryffindor invasion when I came to breakfast, but life is full of surprises.” Trini immediately straightens up when she hears Jen, suddenly seized with the need to look like she’s being productive.

“Good to see you too, Jen,” Jason greets her as she comes to a stop by Trini. “We’re just having breakfast, would you care to join us?”

His tone is suspiciously innocent, and Zack is also far too quietly minding his own business. Trini isn’t sure whether to laugh or cry at the fact that they’re pulling this stunt with Jen, of all people.

The Hufflepuff captain crosses her arms intimidatingly, and Jason refuses to break eye contact as he lifts a forkful of food to his mouth. After a tension-filled moment, Jen turns to Trini, who tenses.

“These guys giving you trouble?” It’s not the question she expects, and it takes Trini a moment before she responds.

“No, no, they’re uh… they’re friends.” It’s the first time she’s said it out loud, to anyone, and it’s strangely anticlimactic. Trini feels a little shaken after the words leave her mouth, but the boys are unperturbed, watching Jen’s reaction.

Jen raises an eyebrow. “So you’re fraternizing with the enemy now, is it?” she says, and Trini is completely lost for a defense. She’s somewhat relieved when Zack speaks up, since she probably looks like a fish with the way her mouth is hanging open.

“Isn’t quidditch all about the spirit of camaraderie, or whatever,” Zack jokes. “It’s not like she’s dating us or anything. Or is she…?” He grins slyly, and Trini lets out a strangled noise, wondering if he’s trying to get them all killed.

“No! No, it’s not like that, I swear,” she hurriedly reassures Jen, before fixing Zack with the best death stare she can muster. Jen’s eyes narrow, and Zack’s grin wavers when he comes under the full force of both the girls’ glares.

“You’re lucky I have a sense of humor, Taylor,” Jen warns. “But I suppose you’re right, there’s no harm in some friendly conversation. You better not be messing with my team, though, otherwise, I will end you.” She starts to leave, but then she turns back to Trini. “Oh, by the way, change of schedule: practice has been moved to tomorrow, there was a mix-up with the Ravenclaw team and the pitch bookings.” She makes a face before walking off without a backwards glance.

Trini sighs with relief before turning to Jason. “Has she always been that… intense?”

He laughs. “Only when it comes to quidditch. Usually she’s pretty chill. When she gets angry though…” He and Trini shudder in unison, while Zack scoffs. “Seriously Zack, you weren’t there during the incident with what’s-his-face last year, when he was talking shit about Ernie? The only reason Jen didn’t get suspended was because the dude was scared shitless.”

“Oh come on, I’m not that stupid. Besides, it’s not like she’ll actually kill me.”

“Maybe not, but she’ll definitely kick your ass.”

“Zack is probably into that,” Trini mumbles, just loud enough for the boys to hear, and Jason chokes on his water. It’s at that moment that Billy suddenly materializes behind Zack and Jason.

“Just dropping by to say hi,” he greets them, before focusing on Jason, who quickly wipes his mouth with a napkin. “Hey, are you finished with breakfast? Because I wanted to talk to Slughorn about my independent project before class. It’s cool if you’re not, though, because I can definitely just wait outside.”

“No, no, yeah, I’m good.” Jason stands, grabbing his bag.

“…is that a yes or a no?”

“It’s a yes.”

“Cool.” Billy smiles at Zack and Trini, waving goodbye, before grabbing Jason’s hand and heading for the exit. Jason is so caught off-guard that Billy ends up practically dragging him along for a bit before he finds his footing. Trini watches them go, noticing how Jason’s face suddenly matches the shade of his tie.

She hums in thought, drawing the attention of Zack, who follows her gaze.

“What? Those two?”

“Not that it’s any of my business, but… is there anything going on there?”

“Between Jason and Billy? Uh… I don’t think so.”

“Well if there isn’t, then there should be.”

Zack’s eyes widen. “Oh thank god, I thought I was the only one who thought so. They’re so cute together! I mean, of course I want them to figure it out on their own, but honestly, it’s taking forever,” he gushes.

He reaches for the last chocolate croissant, but he stops when he sees that Trini is reaching for it too. They stare at each other, Trini with a steely look in her eyes, Zack with a challenging glint in his. There’s a long pause before they both simultaneously lunge for the pastry.

* * *

They ended up almost being late to potions, because in their scuffle, they’d knocked over their glasses, as well as upending the pastry platter. They’d been forced to clean up the mess by hand afterwards. It had all been in vain, too, as the croissant had ended up getting squished and then landing in a puddle of water.

Which brought Trini to her current predicament; the day has barely started, and she’s already so tired that she’s on the verge of falling asleep standing up. The atmosphere of the potions dungeon certainly doesn’t help. The temperature of the room ranges somewhere between hot and sweltering, and it’s always incredibly humid. It’s a struggle to stay awake on a good day, so Trini is somewhat proud of the fact that she hasn’t faceplanted into her cauldron yet.

Admittedly, part of the reason she hasn’t done so yet is currently standing next to her, mumbling the instructions to herself. Kimberly is definitely more awake than Trini is, and she is definitely not as confused and lost as Trini is. Trini hates having to talk to people, and while she would usually prefer to work in silence, sharing a table with someone who talks to herself is probably the better option at this point.

She stifles a yawn behind her hand, and blinks to clear her watery eyes. She’s reaching for the next ingredient when someone suddenly grabs her arm. She has her sleeves rolled up, and the warmth of the hand grasping her wrist startles her. She looks at it, and her eyes track up the offending appendage to reach Kimberly. Trini raises her eyebrow dangerously, and Kimberly quickly releases her.

To her credit, Kimberly looks a little embarrassed. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you. I just, uh… you’re not supposed to add dragon gallstone yet,” she explains.

Trini frowns. “But that’s the next step, right? ‘Stir three times counter-clockwise, once clockwise, and then add dragon gallstone’,” she quotes the textbook.

“Yeah, but you’re only supposed to add it when the potion is at a simmer. Yours is still boiling.”

“Wait, really? When did he say that?”

“He didn’t,” Kimberly says, rolling her eyes. “It was mentioned in the last lesson, though. It’s probably one of Slughorn’s little tests, or something, I don’t know.”

“You’d think they’d put those kinds of warnings in the instructions,” Trini huffs out, and Kimberly makes an amused noise. Trini waves her wand, decreasing the intensity of the fire beneath her cauldron, and waits for the potion to cool a bit. She sees that Kimberly is doing the same thing, which leaves them both without something to occupy themselves with.

Trini is staring forward, half-spacing out and half-avoiding looking at Kimberly. She’s idly watching Jason at the table in front of her as he struggles with his potion. He looks around the classroom confusedly, as if he’s wondering if he’s in the right room, and Trini smirks a little. She watches him examine an ingredient for a moment, before shrugging in a way that clearly means “ _fuck it”_ , before moving to add it to the cauldron. He’s already halfway there when she realizes what it is, and her eyes widen. She hears a gasp of recognition from Kimberly as well.

“Jason, wait-”

“No, stop-”

_BOOM!_

* * *

“Well, I think we can safely say that Slughorn’s little tests are definitely a bad idea,” Trini grumbles, spreading healing cream on the burns on her arm. There’s a peculiar prickling sensation as the cream takes effect.

Jason’s small explosion had ended up sending several students to the hospital wing, so they’d been forced to cut the day’s lesson a bit short. Professor Slughorn was in the corner giving Madam Pomfrey a very flustered apology and promising to, in the future, “provide more explicit instructions in the name of safety”.

“Are you kidding?” Zack says, sprawled out on one of the hospital beds. “You got class cancelled, we all win.”

“That… No, Zack.” Billy shakes his head from where he’s sitting next to Jason, who nods.

“Yeah, I’d hardly call this a win.” He gestures to the bandages wrapped around his eyes. Trini’s sleeves had gotten singed, but the front of Jason’s robe had practically caught fire, and his tie had been completely ruined. He looked slightly ridiculous, covered in soot, but they all pitied his temporary blindness too much to make fun of him.

“Well, Madam Pomfrey said that you’ll probably be able to see by the time the next lesson starts. Although if you’re still kinda blind, then I guess you won’t have to go…”

“Guess there’s a bright side to everything, then,” Jason chuckles wryly. He frowns. “I’m uh, really sorry, by the way. Hope you guys weren’t hurt too badly.”

“This, coming from the guy who temporarily blinded himself?” Kim points out, earning a chuckle from the whole group.

“Damn, I never thought you’d fuck up _this_ badly, Jace,” Zack chortles. Jason doesn’t seem bothered by the comment; if anything, he finds it funny too. Trini is the one who rolls her eyes.

“Oh please, we all know that if Jason hadn’t done it, it would have been you instead.”

“Me? What about Billy?” They all stare at him, nonplussed, and he shrugs. “You’re right, not realistic. Still, what makes you think I would’ve made the same mistake? Maybe I was gonna do it perfectly, huh?”

“Oh really?” Kim smirks, leaning forward. “Remind me how the second half of the potion goes?”

“Easy. Tap with the wand, three times to the left, once to the right, then add dragon gallstone.” His confidence is replaced with confusion when the girls and Jason start giggling. “What… don’t tell me that’s not right.”

“How do you think we ended up here, Zack?” Jason says, and Zack deflates. Crestfallen, he turns back to the girls, who are watching him with self-satisfied expectancy.

“Alright, I admit defeat. You guys were right.”

“Course we were.” At that, Kim grins at Trini. It’s an unexpected gesture, and one that implies a closer friendship than Trini had previously thought they had. Unsure how to respond, she just turns to look at the toes of her boots, tapping them together slightly.

They’re kept in the hospital wing until the end of the class period, and after a brief but thorough check-up from Madam Pomfrey, they’re all dismissed. Jason is still squinting in the light, but Billy takes it upon himself to guide Jason to their next class. Trini and Zack say goodbye to the others before heading to the Divination Tower. Trini dimly recognizes that she still smells like burning metal, but she’s too tired to care, and Professor Trelawney’s triumphant assertion that she had predicted such a disaster washes over her as she proceeds to space out for the next hour or so.

* * *

“…-ing here? Hey. Trini.”

She’s snapped out of her reverie by a hand poking her in the shoulder. She assumes that it’s Zack, and she swats at it off-handedly, mumbling something incoherent as she tries to focus on her work again.

“Wow, I’m hurt,” the voice says jokingly, and it’s definitely not Zack. Trini blinks fully back to reality, and she realizes that the table is empty, and Kimberly is standing next to her. She tilts her head as Trini looks up.

“Sorry, I was spaced out. What were you saying?”

“Spaced out is putting it lightly. Anyhow, I’m heading back to the dorm. Are you going to stick around?”

“Uh yeah, I have to finish this.” It’s not the real reason why she’s staying late. She’s avoiding her dorm, more specifically, the letters resting on her bedside table from this morning. She’s too tired to deal with that today, and she had hoped that some physical distance from them would help to ease the nagging anxiety in the back of her mind.

Kimberly is watching her with an unreadable expression. It’s the same look that she used to wear before they actually met, back when Trini only knew her as that popular girl from Slytherin. Trini squirms slightly under her gaze, not sure what it means or why it’s come back now. She turns away, pretending to glance over her work. After a moment, she hears a little exhale.

“Ok. Goodnight, Trini.” She realizes that there’s something else behind Kimberly’s expression, but before she can figure out what it is, the other girl is already turning to leave. Trini hesitates for a split second before opening her mouth.

“Night, Kim.” She turns away to hide her face as she hears Kimberly’s footsteps pause. There’s a second of silence before the footsteps continue, receding into the quiet of the almost-empty library.

Trini tries to actually be productive, but after a while it’s clear that she is not in the right mind-space to be doing anything school-related, so she resigns herself to packing up and heading back to her dorm. She’s clearing all her things up when she notices the book sitting on the edge of the table. The title is indecipherable to her, which leads to the realization that it’s probably about Ancient Runes. She knows that Zack and Jason aren’t taking that class, and Billy is too organized to forget a book, so that just leaves Kimberly. Out of curiosity, Trini decides to thumb through the pages a little.

_HISS!_

Something leaps out at her from the book, and she reflexively slams the book shut. The hissing is cut off, and when the initial shock clears, she sees the head of a paper snake poking out from the pages of the closed book.

The first thing her partially-incoherent brain comes up with is that Kimberly left it there as a prank on her. The thought has more impact that she expects, and she takes a deep breath as her stomach tightens. She gingerly pulls the paper snake out, going to crumple it. She stops when she notices the markings on its back, in bold black ink. She unfolds it to read the message.

**TRAITOR**

Trini is even more confused. She hasn’t betrayed Kimberly in any way, not that she’s had much opportunity to. The realization hits Trini that this message was meant for Kimberly, not her. It makes sense that she would have some enemies, what with how popular she is, but this stunt was way too menacing to be a simple prank. Trini can’t help but wonder who has it out for Kimberly, and why.

Shaken, she shoves the book in her bag before hurriedly walking out of the library, looking over her shoulder as she goes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the drama... the suspense... the slowburn...


	8. when it gets loud i turn it up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Gryffindor vs. Slytherin match reveals a mysterious change in the Slytherin team. Meanwhile, Trini seems to be confronted with an entirely new and unexpected problem...
> 
> Chapter Title from Harlem - New Politics

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another extremely late update, haha... this one took a while because describing an entire quidditch match requires quite a lot of imagination, and is very confusing.
> 
> a heads-up, assuming i don't manage to update before this weekend, i won't be able to for the next 2 weeks or so, since i'm going on vacation where i won't have internet/laptop access.
> 
> thanks for reading, and as always, comments are very very much appreciated! (seriously, i love everyone who leaves a comment, it always makes my day)

* * *

The whole quidditch team is sprawled out on the grass in various states of exhaustion. There’s definitely leaves and grass in her hair, but Trini can’t find enough energy in herself to care. She groans, lifting her head and propping herself up on her non-aching arm

“Alright, quick break, and then we’ll run it again,” Jen calls out, despite the complaints of the whole team. Ernie gingerly makes their way to her side.

“Jenny,” they begin, and the captain raises her eyebrow at them. “You know I’m all for perfectionism, but I think in this case, we’re hardly likely to win the Cup if our team dies first.”

Jen surveys the group of half-dead teens laid out before her, before letting out an exasperated sigh. “Fine. But if we lose because we didn’t practice enough? I. Will. Kill. You.” She emphasizes each word by poking Ernie in the chest, glaring at them, before stalking off to grab a drink of water.

Ernie turns back to the team. “So, great job during practice today. I know Jen is being a little… harsh, but it’s just because this is a pretty new team, and our first match isn’t that far away. She means well, I promise.”

Trini blinks, sitting up fully. She immediately regrets it, as all of the muscles in her body scream in protest. “Wait, our first match is when?”

“Girl, are you serious?” Safa, one of the chasers, says incredulously. “It’s in like, 2 weeks. Also, Ernie, how are you not dead yet?”

They laugh. “When you’ve been around Jen as long as I have, you adapt. Believe me, I’m just as amazed as you are.”

“By the way,” Jen’s voice rings out, and everyone instinctively stiffens. “The Gryffindor vs Slytherin match is this weekend, and we’re all gonna watch. We need to scout out the competition.”

There’s a general murmur of agreement, and the team disperses, nursing their sore muscles.

Later, Trini is sluggishly making her way to the library to retrieve a book. She isn’t paying much attention to her surroundings, so she nearly misses seeing Kimberly as she walks past. She remembers the book in her bag a moment later, and she spins around just in time to see Kim round the corner. She jogs after her, internally swearing at her aching muscles as she catches up to the other girl.

“Wait!” she manages to call out, and Kimberly jumps slightly. Trini cringes at the loudness of her own voice, which draws some confused and annoyed looks from the other students. Kimberly turns to face her as Trini catches her breath, her eyes flickering nervously to the few others present in the hallway. Trini notes that their interaction is definitely drawing some interested stares.

“What is it?” Kim speaks, and Trini realizes that she forgot to explain herself.

“Oh right! Sorry, um, hang on.” She turns to rummage through her bag, conveniently hiding her embarrassed face. She finds the book and stealthily thumbs through the pages to make sure there aren’t any other surprises hiding. After a brief inspection, she hands it to Kimberly. “You left this in the library the other day.”

“Oh, I was looking for that! Thank you.”

“No problem.” Trini fidgets with the strap of her bag. She tries to come up with something to say, but her brain seems to be malfunctioning, and she ends up just staring.

Kimberly shifts her weight nervously, still glancing around. “I guess I’ll see you around then…”

“Yeah.” Kim is already walking away when Trini’s brain catches up. “And good luck!” she says, incredibly late.

Kim actually stops and turns to look at her. “What do you mean?”

Trini is screaming at herself internally, but she manages to respond. “In-in the quidditch match this weekend.”

Kim is giving her that curious gaze again, the one that Trini still hasn’t figured out how to interpret. After a moment, the corners of her mouth lift a little. “Thanks, Trini.”

She shrugs. “I’m just hoping someone knocks Zack off his broom.” It makes Kimberly laugh a little, and Trini’s grip on her bag tightens.

“See you later,” Kimberly says, and Trini manages an awkward nod of acknowledgement before promptly spinning around and power walking back around the corner. She’s almost at the library when she realizes that she neglected to mention the weird snake that was hidden in the book. It would definitely be weird to turn back now, and Trini wonders if she should even bother mentioning it to Kim. _It’s not really any of my business, right?_ Still, something about the whole incident seems unsettling to her.

She swears she was only distracted for a second, but all of a sudden it becomes apparent to Trini that she has wandered a little too far into the library stacks. She has to move quickly to avoid being boxed in by the more mischievous shelves, and by the time she manages to get her hands on the book she needs, she’s not sure if it was worth all the extra effort.

* * *

“Hey, Trini,” Billy says as they’re making their way out of the library. “You’re coming to the quidditch game tomorrow, right?”

“Of course,” she answers, clearing her throat a little from disuse. Billy had been the only other person there, so there hadn’t been much talking. Jason and Zack had foregone the library in favor of what they referred to as “pre-match team bonding”. Kimberly hadn’t been there either, although when she had asked Billy about the other girl’s whereabouts, he had just shrugged.

“Great! Let’s sit together, then. I can lend you my binoculars, if you don’t have your own.”

Trini hesitates a little. “The thing is, Jen said she wanted the whole team to watch the game, and I think that means I’m supposed to sit with the rest of the team.”

“Oh, that’s alright then,” Billy says. He doesn’t seem deterred, but nevertheless, she still feels a small pang of guilt.

“I wouldn’t want to leave you on your own, though. I’m sure Jen won’t mind if you sit with us.”

He shakes his head. “No, really, I’ll be fine. Besides, I know I sometimes make things a little awkward, so…”

“You’re my friend, it won’t be awkward. And if Jen starts giving you shit, we’ll just move to a different spot.”

Billy immediately smiles and nods. “Cool. I’m ok with sitting anywhere. Well, almost anywhere, because if we sit too close to the commentator then it gets too loud, but I also want to make sure we have an exciting view. It’s kind of boring to watch from the middle stands. But I’m ok with wherever your team sits.”

After arranging to meet outside the pitch before the match, they head back to their respective common rooms. It’s getting cold enough outside that they’ve started lighting the fireplace in the Hufflepuff common room, and the warm air blows in Trini’s face as she steps through the entrance.

Someone gives her a little head nod as she walks in, and she waves back. Ever since she joined the quidditch team, more and more people were starting to recognize her. She probably should have guessed that making the team would mean more attention, but it was still a little anxiety inducing. Sometimes Trini wished that she could go back to not being noticed, just for a little bit.

She takes a seat in an armchair to the side of the fire, scaring off a second year with a well-timed glare. She begins idly flipping through a book of jinxes, mentally noting which ones seem interesting enough to try on Zack or Jason.

A few minutes later, some voices from the entrance catch her attention, and she watches as Safa and Koda step through. Safa sees her and grins.

“Hey Trini,” she says, amusement in her voice. “When’s our next match again?”

Trini rolls her eyes. “It’s in two weeks, I know now. You’re never gonna let that go, are you?”

“I’m never gonna get over the fact that you didn’t know the quidditch schedule. How is that even possible?”

“By the way, Trini,” Koda says, “who’re you rooting for tomorrow, Gryffindor or Slytherin?”

Trini considers. “You know, I haven’t really thought about that,” she muses.

“My money’s on Slytherin,” Safa declares to Koda. “They’ve got a killer offense, and Scott might be a good keeper, but that won’t be enough to stop them.”

“Yeah, but they’ve got Winslow, and she’s a great seeker.”

“Hmm, true…”

“What do you think?” Koda asks Trini, startling her a little. “You’re friends with some people on the Gryffindor team, right?”

She nods. “Yeah, I know Jason and Zack. They’re both pretty good, but I don’t know much about the Slytherin team.” She leaves out that she knows Kimberly; for some reason, some instinct tells her that mentioning the Slytherin girl might not go down so well.

Safa’s eyes widen, and she places a hand on her chest. “You’re friends with Zack Taylor?”

Trini blinks. “Uh, yeah?”

“Ugh, that man has the body of Adonis. He’s so hot…” Safa sighs dreamily. Trini makes a grossed-out face, and Koda laughs.

“Hey, you think you could get some good intel on the Gryffindor team for us?” he jokes, and Trini smiles.

“In the spirit of friendship, I’m going to have to decline.”

“But what about the spirit of team loyalty?”

“Speaking of,” Safa interjects, “how did Jen take you hanging with the Gryffindor team?

Trini groans, making the others laugh again. “Believe it or not, she went into full mama-bear mode for a second.”

“She’s just really protective of the team,” Koda says. “Especially around the first match of the year. When Jen goes into overdrive mode, you do not want to mess with her.”

“What’re you three saying about me?” They turn to see Jen entering the common room, clearly coming back from a late night in the library, if the bags under her eyes are any indication.

“We’re just talking about how Gomez here is leaking all our strategies to the Gryffindors,” Safa jokes.

Unfortunately, Jen seems to be a little too sleep-deprived for her tone to properly register. For a millisecond, Trini swears she sees flames flash in Jen’s eyes.

“She’s doing WHAT?”

Trini ends up vaulting over the armchair as her teammates rush to restrain Jen, assuring her it was just a joke, and that Trini was doing nothing of the sort. They manage to calm her down somewhat, leading her to the dorms and insisting that she gets some rest. Eventually, they’re able to coax Trini out from behind the furniture.

“Sometimes I worry about her,” Ernie says as they descend the stairs from the girl’s dorms. “She tends to forget that human beings have basic needs like sustenance and sleep.”

Koda does a double-take. “Hang on, Ern… you’re not a girl, how come you can go up the stairs?”

They just give a mysterious wink and tap the side of their nose. “The castle likes me,” they say before returning to their desk.

* * *

Trini ends up running into Billy on the way to the pitch. He’s wearing his usual Ravenclaw robes and tie, but he has a Gryffindor scarf, and a pair of red earmuffs hangs from around his neck. Trini didn’t bother with wearing supportive colors; she didn’t have anything representing the other houses, and besides, she doesn’t want to give Zack the satisfaction. Of course, she doesn’t blame Billy for openly supporting Gryffindor instead of Slytherin (she thinks it’s really cute how much he supports Jason).

It’s incredibly difficult trying to maneuver through the crowded stands, and Trini ends up taking the lead and shoving open a path for her and Billy. Eventually, she spots some familiar faces in the sea of colors, and they manage to reach where the rest of the Hufflepuff team is sitting.

“Just in time, too,” Koda observes as she and Billy find open seats. “Jen would’ve killed you if you’d been late.”

“Did she notice I wasn’t here?” When Koda shakes his head, Trini smirks. “Then there isn’t a problem.”

Billy waves at Koda from her other side. “Hi,” he manages to yell above the noise, reaching across Trini’s body to offer Koda his hand. “I’m William, William Cranston, but most people call me Billy.”

As they’re shaking hands, the volume of the crowd suddenly rises as people begin cheering and stomping their feet. Billy flinches a little, quickly releasing Koda’s hand. As Trini looks out, she sees the referee making their way onto the pitch. There’s a slight feedback whine, and then a cheery voice rings throughout the stadium.

“Aaaaaaand welcome back to the pitch, folks! For all you first years, my name is Alphonse Andrews the Fifth, better known to the quidditch fanatics of Hogwarts as Alpha-5, and I will be your commentator for this glorious season!”

The crowd goes wild, and despite the noise, Trini can’t help but grin a little as she gets swept up in the energy. Billy has placed his earmuffs on and is bouncing a little in his seat.

“Alright then, let’s go-go-go! Today’s matchup is everyone’s favorite house rivalry, no offense to Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, but we all know it’s true. And now, it’s time to meet the teams, so let’s give them a big welcome!”

There’s a huge roar, and immediately everyone shoots to their feet. Trini silently thanks Jen for managing to seat them close to the front of the stands, since it would probably be impossible for her to see anything otherwise.

The teams meet in the middle, and Billy is yelling Jason’s name at the top of his lungs and waving his hands in the air. Somehow, miraculously, even though there are hundreds of people in the crowd, Jason’s eyes find them, and he gives a thumbs-up in their direction. Billy claps his hands together excitedly.

The captains shake hands before the teams kick off, flying to their starting positions. The crowd immediately begins buzzing with mixed degrees of excitement and surprise, and Trini turns to her teammates, confused.

“What’s going on?” she asks. Safa looks absolutely shocked as she watches the Slytherin team.

“What the fuck?” she says in disbelief. “Since when is Hart playing keeper?”

Trini’s eyes immediately shoot to the goalposts nearest to them, and sure enough, she recognizes the short-haired figure hovering near the goalposts.

“What the fuck was their captain thinking?” Safa’s expression is somewhere between rage and despair. “She was part of the best chaser squad in years! I bet five sickles on this match. Shit.”

Ernie’s eyebrows are dangerously close to his hairline. “Well, this is certainly going to be an interesting match.”

Before the conversation can continue, the referee blows their whistle, tossing the quaffle in the air. The players immediately spring into action, dodging the bludgers as the chasers try to out-maneuver each other.

“Possession is in the air at the moment… it looks like Taylor is going to- OH! An unexpected steal from the new Slytherin chaser!”

Trini watches the unnamed player flying towards the goalposts as the other chasers move around the field.

“And it’s a pass… Gryffindor sends a defensive bludger, misses… they’re going for the shot!”

Billy is fixated almost unblinkingly on Jason, and Trini leans forward unconsciously.

“And it’s a SAVE, from Gryffindor Keeper Jason Scott!” The crowd cheers. As the pace of the match slows down a bit, Alpha-5 keeps narrating.

“Wow, that was some play right off the bat, folks! They might not have made it, but that was a formidable attack, lead by Slytherin newcomer Tommy Oliver. One wonders what motivated the Slytherin team to deviate from their ‘Golden Trio’, but Oliver sure has some big shoes to fill.”

“Tommy’s not the only one under pressure from the change,” Koda muses, and Trini turns to look at him. “Everyone’s been focusing on how to defend against Kimberly, Harper, and Amanda, they’re not gonna be prepared to deal with a different squad.”

“But is Tommy as good as Kim is?” The question comes out a little more defensive than she intends, but luckily, Koda probably just assumed she was trying to speak over the noise.

His mouth twists in a wry smile. “They might have the element of surprise, but they’re sure as hell no replacement for Kimberly.”

Trini feels oddly satisfied by that answer. She watches the match for a bit before another thought comes to her, and she turns to her other side.

“Billy… Hey, Billy.” She’s on the verge of nudging him when he finally notices her. “Did you know Kim was going to be Keeper?”

He nods. “Oh yeah, she and Jason have been practicing for a while.”

Trini processes the new information. It would explain why they’d been spending so much time together. “Do you know why?” she asks, but Billy is already tuned back into the game, so she decides to leave him be.

There haven’t been any sightings of the snitch yet, so the score is pretty even. Kimberly has been doing unexpectedly well as Keeper, much to the surprise of the crowd, including Trini.

“Maybe there’s still hope for me and money,” Safa smirks. In the row in front of them, Ernie overhears and laughs.

“Not a chance, honey.” They toss their hair arrogantly, and Safa rolls her eyes.

“Shut the hell up, Ernie. You and your stupidly fabulous hair,” she grumbles. “You’re Co-Captain, you probably had insider information.”

“Vice Captain,” they remind her. “And believe me, I’m just as surprised by this as you are.”

“Well, this match would be going _very_ differently if Hart was playing Chaser.”

“Really?” Trini is curious; even though she’d heard of Kimberly before they met, she hadn’t known much about the other girl. Granted, she still doesn’t know much about Kim, but she is interested to hear what the other students think of her.

“Girl, seriously, were you living under a rock? Kimberly Hart might have a pretty face, but she’s absolutely terrifying on the field. If only she were playing Chaser, you’d get to see her, and I would be five sickles richer.”

Trini knows that Kim can be intimidating at times (although admittedly, that might just be a Trini thing), but it seems strange to think of Kimberly as actively frightening someone. Then again, Kimberly seems to have changed somehow recently, although Trini isn’t sure exactly how.

Alpha’s voice is still echoing from the enchanted speakers. “Slytherin took an early lead with the element of surprise, but the Gryffindor team is regrouping. Scott has certainly done a good job training his team. Gryffindor has possession, and it looks like they’re all warmed up and ready for action!”

There’s a giggle throughout the audience, and Alpha’s voice can be dimly heard over the speakers. “What? Did I say something? Professor, I swear, I didn’t mean…”

True to Alpha’s words, Gryffindor is making a comeback, and the Slytherin defense has to fight harder and harder to keep the score even. Trini realizes that she’s holding a pair of enchanted binoculars that Billy had handed her earlier, and she brings them up to her face to get a closer look.

Jason has his “leader face” on, as Billy likes to call it. Zack is his usual cocky self, but something about being in front of a crowd seems to bring up another quality in him. Trini grudgingly admits that he somehow seems even more charming, and it makes sense how he would be the Gryffindor heartthrob instead of Jason.

She turns the binoculars to the other side of the field and focuses on Kimberly. Her expression is calm, but it seems a little forced. Trini notices how her hands are tightly gripping the handle of her broom, and she wonders if Kim wishes she were playing chaser instead. As the quaffle moves towards the Slytherin half of the pitch, she puts down the binoculars to have a wider view.

Kimberly actually does have a bit of a mean streak, she realizes as the girl blocks the shot by punching the quaffle straight into the Gryffindor chaser’s face. The game is called to a halt as the injury is treated, but no foul is called. There’s some booing from the stands, but Trini is so distracted by the smugly satisfied look on Kim’s face that all thoughts of fair play unexpectedly leave her mind.

She’s startled back to reality when Jen leaps up and starts screaming something indecipherable at the referee, only stopping when a professor nearby makes a coughing noise so loud that she’s sure he must have damaged his vocal chords.

She shakes her head. _Jeez, what’s gotten into me lately?_

“Ay-yi-yi, the first injury of the season. Well, it could always be worse, am I right guys- Oh, oh! Gryffindor’s Kelsey Winslow is making a move!”

The Gryffindor seeker suddenly flies by at a blurring speed, close enough to the stands that a sturdy breeze washes over the spectators, earning a huge roar from the crowd.

“Slytherin seeker hot on her heels… watch out for that bludger, girls! They’re neck and neck, I can’t quite make out where the snitch is... And while that’s been happening, Gryffindor has scored another point, courtesy of the fabulous Zack Taylor!”

Zack circles back and slows down as he approaches where Trini is sitting. To her horror, he points at her and winks.

“That was for you, Crazy Girl!” He hollers, and the entire section of the stands immediately turns to look at her. It’s embarrassing, but in the heat of the moment, caught up in the secondhand rush, she ends up rising to her feet and cupping her hands around her mouth.

“SUCK A COCK, TAYLOR!” She yells as loud as she can, and the whole Hufflepuff team bursts into cheers. A nearby professor shoots her a dirty look, and she quickly sits back down, stifling her laughter behind her hand. Zack is laughing as he flies away, a huge grin on his face.

“Oooh, and it looks like that was a feint from Winslow, allowing Gryffindor to score! Brilliant strategy, Gryffindor.” The Gryffindor seeker loops back to patrolling the pitch, slowing down to give Jason a high-five.

As the game continues, the Slytherin beaters become more occupied with trying to interfere with the Gryffindor seeker, which leaves an opening in their defense. The Gryffindor offense takes advantage of that, and as one of the chasers steals the quaffle, there’s a distinct _thwack_ as a bludger is sent careening in Kimberly’s direction with perfect timing.

Trini cringes, fully expecting the bludger to hit Kimberly head on. Instead, Kim calmly swings into a tight evasive maneuver, easily dodging the projectile before blocking the incoming quaffle. She seems hardly bothered, instead sending a challenging smirk over shoulder at the Gryffindor beater.

“You’ll have to do better than that, boys,” she calls out sassily. As she’s flying back in position, she looks in Trini and Billy’s direction and gives them a slight smile.

Billy is waving at her, but Trini is too taken aback to really notice. She’s surprised to feel a slight heat rise to her cheeks, and she tugs her beanie down out of nervousness. _What the hell? How does her hair still look that good when she’s literally in the middle of a match?_

All of a sudden, there’s a chorus of screaming down the pitch, and everyone cranes their necks to see what the commotion is. Kelsey Winslow is rising through the air on her broom, a fist thrust triumphantly in the air.

“And that is the snitch! Ladies, gentlemen, non-binary friends, Gryffindor has caught the snitch! That is the end of the match, with Gryffindor winning 210 – 70! What a match, folks, what a match. I tell ya, if things keep up like this, we’re in for one hell of a season! I’ll be joining you all here again in two weeks for the Hufflepuff vs Ravenclaw match. ‘Till then, this is Alpha-5, signing off.”

The Gryffindor players have gathered in a massive group hug on the grass. When Zack launches himself into the huddle, there’s a startled commotion before the whole team ends up piled on the ground, their jubilant laughter loud enough to reach the stands.

Trini and Billy are leaping up and down and yelling, while in the background, Ernie smugly collects his money from Safa.

“Come on, let’s go wait outside the locker rooms!” Billy hardly waits to see if she’s following him before he dashes off, somehow making it to the stairs before anyone else. Trini quickly waves goodbye to her teammates before racing after him.

“You realize they’re not gonna come out for a while, right?” she teases gently.

“Oh, I know. I just want us to be the first people they see.”

They wait in the area outside the locker rooms in a comfortable silence, neither of them feeling the need to unnecessarily strike up a conversation. Trini doesn’t bother to keep track of the minutes, but eventually the stands are practically empty. She focuses on her breathing instead, enjoying the strangely peaceful moment.

There’s the noise of a locker door opening, and then Zack and Jason step through, followed by some of their teammates. Trini and Billy immediately go to greet them.

“Congratulations, guys!” Billy says enthusiastically, clapping his hands, and Trini is pretty sure that Jason’s flushed cheeks aren’t from exertion at this point.

He smiles somewhat shyly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Thanks, Billy.”

Zack sidles up to Trini, and she lets out her trademark sigh before glancing at him.

He opens his arms. “Oh come on, Crazy Girl, you can’t admit, I was pretty dope out there, no?”

With a final eye roll, Trini relents, leaning in and giving him a one-armed hug. “Could have been better,” she replies airily. Undeterred, Zack sweeps her into a full hug, and Trini stiffens slightly before grudgingly relaxing into it. Her usual demeanor quickly returns when Zack ruins the moment by sweeping her onto his shoulder.

“Zack!” His frame shakes with laughter, and he lets out an “oomph” when she pounds him between the shoulder blades with her fist.

“I swear to god, Zack, I’m going to strangle you!”

“Oh yeah, like you could even reach my neck.”

Trini is aware of how ridiculous she looks, but in the presence of her friends, it doesn’t bother her. She wonders when she reached the point where she’s make a fool of herself just to make other people smile.

“Wow.” Trini scrabbles on Zack’s shoulders to lever herself into a semi-horizontal position, lifting her head up to see Kimberly leaning against the doorway, an amused smile on her face. The view quickly disappears as Zack whirls around, the colors of Trini’s vision blurring.

“You’re a dead man, Zack Taylor,” she growls directly into his ear, pounding on his back again for good measure.

“You’d better let her down soon, Zack,” she hears Kim say. “I think she’s serious.”

“Alright,” he chuckles before plopping Trini back on her feet. As soon as she’s on stable ground she retaliates by kicking him in the shin. Her beanie is askew, and she hurriedly fixes it, feeling oddly self-conscious all of a sudden.

“Good game, Kim.” Jason smiles warmly at her as he walks over and hugs her. She wraps her arms around him with a “Thanks. You too.”

Trini notices that Kimberly looks a little disappointed for a second before she separates from Jason. Not that Trini blames her, of course; even though they’re friends, it’s still rough to be on the losing team.

They head back to the castle, Billy and Zack animatedly sharing their favorite moments from the match while Jason listens in and points out any embellishments that Zack makes. Trini finds herself drifting to the back of the group towards Kimberly.

“Good job during the match,” she offers, somewhat hesitantly. Kim gives her a tired smile in response.

“Thanks. We still lost, though, which is kind of frustrating.”

“Yeah, but Gryffindor caught the snitch,” Trini points out. “Unless you somehow managed to score 150 points as a Keeper, I don’t think there’s anything more you could’ve done.”

Kim makes a sort of wry half-chuckle at that. Her expression softens. “Thanks, Trini,” she says, and there’s an unusual sincerity in her tone. The moment stretches out, and Trini is suddenly worried that she’s about to do something stupid like trip over her own feet.

Zack turns to the girls as they wait for the stairs to realign. “Oh hey, Kim, I meant to ask you. Who’s that new Tommy Oliver person? And why are they playing Chaser instead of you?”

Kimberly’s eyes briefly flash with panic and uncertainty, and Trini knows that Zack had brought up an incredibly sensitive topic somehow. Kim’s darting eyes land on Trini and she falters in her attempt to respond.

“By the way,” Jason suddenly interrupts, not-so-subtly shifting the focus. “there’s going to be a party in the Gryffindor common room. I’m pretty sure we can get you guys in, and I’m a prefect, so I’ll help you guys sneak back to your dorms.”

“Ok,” Billy almost immediately agrees. “I don’t really like parties, but I do like celebrating. It should be fun.”

“Nice.” Zack nudges her. “What about you, T?”

She tilts her head a little. “Eh, what the hell. Sure.” She looks to Kimberly, raising her eyebrows questioningly.

Oddly enough, Kimberly is the only one who hesitates. “I don’t know, guys. I’m kind of feeling tired…”

Trini can definitely appreciate not wanting to party, but something about Kim’s demeanor is different. She feels oddly compelled to convince her otherwise.

“Are you sure? I’m totally gonna take this opportunity to see how many stupid things I can convince Zack to do.”

He scoffs. “Really, Crazy Girl? How gullible do you think I am?”

“Hey, did you know that if you say ‘gullible’ really slowly, it sounds like ‘elephant’?”

“Nice try, I’m not falling for that one again.”

“Meaning that you fell for it before.”

“…Damn, I played myself there.”

The teasing is a bit of an unnecessary act, but it serves to make Kim smile. After a moment of consideration, her shoulders relax.

“I guess I could stay for a little bit. Not too long, though,” she adds, and Jason nods.

“Of course.” He gives Trini a grateful look that she’s completely unsure how to respond to, and he begins leading them to the Gryffindor tower.

“You’d better have something exciting planned,” Kimberly says lowly from besides Trini. “I’m expecting some quality Zack Taylor antics for entertainment.”

Trini grins at her. “The Fat Lady is an opera singer, right? There’s already so much material to work with from that alone.”

As Trini watches the girl’s face, Kim’s eyes drift upwards to Trini’s beanie. The corner of her mouth quirks.

“Your hair is sticking to your hat a bit, just…” She reaches over and gently dislodges the stray strands before tucking them behind Trini’s ear. Her hand brushes Trini’s cheek very briefly, and Trini feels the blood begin to rush to her face. She’s so busy trying to control her blush that she barely notices Kim moving forward to join the boys.

Trini’s hands come up to tug on her beanie as she tries to calm her inexplicably racing heart.

_What the hell is wrong with me?_ She looks up just in time to see Kimberly wearing an open-mouthed smile, laughing at something Billy said. She feels her heart thud in her chest and her eyes widen in realization.

_Oh. Oh no. What the fuck?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shoutout to @hearden for helping me with the background ranger cameos. make sure to check out his Legacy of Power fic, it's amazing!


	9. you make my world spin (placebo feelings)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trini considers herself quite good at avoiding feelings and emotions. But she might not be able to wrangle her way out of this particular hole she's dug herself into.
> 
> Title from Mirrors by PVRIS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm back, ahahaha..... sorry for the wait, guys. this chapter is kinda shorter than the others (in terms of plot, not word count), but that's because i decided to combine two chapters, only to split them back up again after i started writing, so.... but hopefully you guys will enjoy the Trini/Kim interactions in this one!
> 
> also, it was recently pointed out to me that there is, in fact, an Ernie in the power rangers universe. i would very much like to clarify that this is purely a coincidence, and that no resemblance was intended.
> 
> enjoy!

* * *

It’s getting late, close to curfew, and Trini knows she needs to hurry if she doesn’t want to get caught roaming the halls. She avoids eye contact with anyone as she walks, trying to pretend that she’s not heading in the complete opposite direction of the Hufflepuff dorm. Her foot taps anxiously as she waits for the floating staircase to rise, ignoring the curious glances of all the portraits and their whispers. As soon as the stairs come to a halt, she’s moving again.

She’d spent the whole day trying to prepare herself to read the letters from home that had been sitting hidden in her things. She’d gotten them a few days ago, but she hadn’t worked up the courage to read them until now. In the free hours she’d had before curfew, she decided to bite the bullet.

The letter from her brothers had been bittersweet; they told her about how much they hated English class and Math, and how they couldn’t agree if science or history was more fun. They were one of the only reasons she looked forward to leaving Hogwarts during the holidays. They had asked all sorts of questions about how she was doing and how her schoolwork was going; she wished she could tell them the truth, but for now, she’d just have to make up some lie about boarding school. It hurt a little, having to lie to her brothers, but there didn’t seem to be any alternative at the moment. _I guess it’s just part of being an older sister,_ she thought bitterly.

It was the letter from her father that had put her in such a sour mood. The sharp lines of his handwriting and the formal tone of his words never failed to put her on edge. The further she read, the more anxious and upset she felt, and the more suffocating the dorm began to feel. By the time she finished, she couldn’t take the atmosphere, and had slipped out as quickly as possible. Which brought her to the present moment.

She’s climbing the stairs to the 5th (or is it 6th?) floor when she hears laughter coming from the corridor. Although it catches her attention, she’s certainly not in the mood to investigate. She speeds up her pace and ends up almost running straight into someone.

“Watch it,” the girl snaps. Trini looks up and realizes that there’s a group of them, all from Slytherin. Some of the faces are familiar, and Trini realizes that some of them are on the quidditch team.

“Well?” Trini is brought back by the girl’s snappy tone. She recognizes her as Amanda Clark, one of the chasers that Kimberly apparently used to play with.

“Are you going to just stand there like an idiot?” Amanda demands, and Trini glares at her.

“No,” she says before moving to walk past. Another Slytherin is suddenly blocking her path, and she groans internally.

Amanda looks smug. “I think you owe me an apology,” she sneers, arms crossed. Trini groans internally before turning back to Amanda.

“Fine. I’m sorry that I ran into you, since you have such a bad attitude, and it’s apparently messing with both of our days.”

Amanda steps forward, her eyes narrowing dangerously. “You better watch yourself. I’ll remember you.”

“I’m sure you won’t.”

Despite her confident tone, Trini’s palms are sweating slightly. She feels the presence of the other Slytherins behind her, and her muscles tense. Amanda locks eyes with her, and for a second Trini considers pulling out her wand to defend herself. After a final beat, Amanda scoffs and turns to walk away. The other Slytherins follow suit, leaving Trini standing alone on the staircase.

She stands there uncertain for a moment before continuing on her way. As she passed the hallway that Amanda had come from, she heard a faint sound. Despite herself, she flinches slightly, expecting another bully to emerge, but nothing happens. The sounds continue, and Trini realizes that someone is crying.

The castle bells toll, and Trini swears as she realizes that she’s officially past curfew. She sees a teacher entering the Grand Staircase, and she ducks into the corridor in order to avoid being detected. Seeing as she can’t use the stairs, her only option is to go further down the hallway. Which, coincidentally, means getting closer to the source of the crying noises.

She tries to walk as quietly as possible, hoping that whoever else is in the corridor doesn’t hear her. The hallway splits off, and Trini has the option of turning away from the source of the crying and making a break of it. Unfortunately, her natural curiosity gets the best of her, and she sneaks to the edge of the wall to at least get a glimpse of who it is.

The person’s back is turned to her, but she can make out the green trimming on their robe, which confuses her. _I’m assuming Amanda is responsible for this, but why would the Slytherins go after one of their own? So much for house loyalty_ , she thinks bitterly. The person shifts a bit, sniffling, and a familiar bob of hair comes into view.

Trini freezes before ducking back behind the corner. _Shit. Fuck. Shit-fuck._ She definitely wasn’t supposed to see Kimberly Hart crying alone in an empty corridor. Now she’s trapped between trying to awkwardly pretend that she didn’t notice her or confronting her. Trini isn’t sure which option is worse, especially since talking to Kimberly would bring up a whole set of issues that Trini is definitely not in the mood to think about.

She remembers that a professor or one of the ghosts could come walking down the hallway at any moment. It’s even more likely with Kimberly crying, since the corridor acoustics are quite resonant.

She decides that taking action is better than doing nothing, and she resolves to just wing it. Biting her lip, she squeezes her eyes closed and takes a deep breath before stepping around the corner.

Kimberly is still sniffling a bit, but she seems to have calmed down a bit. As she rises to her feet, Trini can see that her things are lying in a heap; she notices that Kimberly’s bag has a ridiculously large split down the side.

As Kimberly wipes at her eyes, she turns to look behind her. Her eyes widen when she sees Trini, and she spins around. Trini belatedly realizes that she’s just been standing there watching Kim like a creep.

“Um… hi.” The greeting falls completely flat as they both continue awkwardly staring at each other.

“What are you doing here?” Kimberly’s tone is aggressively defensive, and while Trini can’t blame her, she’s also aware of their current precarious situation.

“I could ask you the same thing. It’s past curfew,” Trini points out. “Do you want to share explanations now, or later when we’re not about to be given detention for wandering the halls.”

Kimberly sighs before bending down to start to gather her things. Trini moves to help her, reaching out to hand her a book. Kim appears somewhat startled, staring at Trini’s offered hand for a second before looking up at her face. Trini’s mouth inexplicably feels dry.

Suddenly, they hear some voices coming from the other end of the corridor.

“Shit,” Kim hisses. She pokes her torn bag with her wand and mutters “ _Reparo_ ” before she and Trini begin haphazardly stuffing her belongings into it. They hear footsteps approaching and they both look around wildly for a hiding place.

“Here.” Trini feels Kim grab her arm and start dragging her in the opposite direction. She stumbles a bit and hears the sound of a door opening. Before she knows what’s happening, Kim is shoving her forward, stepping after her before turning to close the door.

She hears a mumbled “ _Colloportus_ ”, followed by the sound of a lock sliding into place. She tentatively stretches her hand out to the side and encounters what feels like a broom or mop handle. Apparently Kimberly’s idea of hiding was locking them in a small, cramped closet. _Great_.

Their breathing echoes a little in the enclosed space, and Trini tries to calm her breaths in order to listen out for the incoming footsteps. There’s a slight flicker of movement in the light from the crack of the door, and Kimberly leans forward to hear better.

“…still up to his old tricks, I suppose. Heaven knows why we still keep that poltergeist around.”

“Now, now, Minerva. You know that Peeves, as irritating and obnoxious as he can be, is just as much a part of this castle as I am.”

Trini is pretty sure her heart stops, and she can hear Kimberly’s breath stutter. Getting caught would be bad, but the prospect of being caught by Professor McGonagall is terrifying. She wipes her sweaty palms on her robes and tries to be as silent as possible.

“Besides,” the voice of Nearly-Headless Nick says, “despite his disobedience, Peeves is loyal to Hogwarts above all else.”

She hears McGonagall sigh. “I suppose so. Dealing with him always seemed so much easier before I became Headmistress. Perhaps I’m getting old,” she chuckles wryly.

“Nonsense, Minerva! You look as wonderful as ever.”

“You’ve always been such a gentleman, Sir Nicholas.”

“I do try, Madam.”

Trini abruptly realizes that the closet they’re in is quite cramped indeed, because she’s incredibly close to Kimberly. She’s pretty sure she can smell her perfume every time she moves even a millimeter. Her mind blanks briefly as it washes over her. Trini had been expecting something light and flowery, but Kim smells of lavender and sandalwood and spices. It’s a surprisingly mesmerizing blend, and Trini unconsciously finds herself leaning forward, drawn to the scent-  
  
The footsteps stop, just short of the closet door, and they both hold their breath. Trini is certain that they’re about to face McGonagall’s wrath, and she considers reciting all the prayers she learned as a little child, just in case. After a moment, a voice speaks.

“Spilled ink… how careless. _Scourgify_.”

There’s another moment of silence, and then the footsteps resume. Eventually, they fade out, and Trini slumps in relief. Her shoulder collides with something warm, and the scent of lavender wafts towards her. When she realizes she’s leaning against Kim, she instantly straightens, a feeling of alarm shooting through her. She’s grateful that they’re in darkness, since that both gives her an excuse and hides her blushing face. She’s a little less grateful that they’re trapped so close together, though.

She hears Kim mumble something again, the sound of a lock retracting, and suddenly she’s temporarily blinded by the light of the hallway. Kim opens the door a tiny bit, checking if the coast is clear, before opening it further and stepping out. She beckons to Trini to follow her. She takes a moment to straighten out her robes and try to control her blush before she exits.

“So, are you going to tell me what you’re doing out here?” Kim seems almost completely unaffected by the situation they’re in, and Trini stares at her incredulously.

“Are… are you serious?” Kim simply quirks an eyebrow in response, clearly still waiting for an answer.

Trini crosses her arms stubbornly. “I’ll tell you what I was doing if you tell me what you were doing.” The answer is obvious, and it is a bit of a low blow, but Trini is just desperate for Kim to stop asking questions.

“It’s a long story,” Kim says shortly, looking to the side. They stand in silence for a bit, neither of them looking the other in the eye.

Trini glances about nervously. “Look, I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to stand around here waiting for someone to catch us.” As she walks away, she can hear Kimberly’s footsteps following her.

“Where are you going? The Hufflepuff dorm isn’t that way.”

“Maybe I’m not going to the Hufflepuff dorm.”

“Well, it’s past curfew, so there isn’t exactly anywhere else for you to go.”

Trini turns to face her, exasperated. “What do you want?”

“I want to know what you’re doing. Call it natural curiosity.”

“I’d rather call you an annoyance.”

“You can call me whatever you want, I still want to know.” The retort is clearly not suggestive, but something in Trini’s mind reacts to it that way. She’s perfectly capable of dealing with bullies, but she has no idea how to deal with a pretty girl who refuses to stop following her.

“Ugh. Fine,” she relents, and Kimberly blinks.

“Wait, seriously?”

“Yeah. It’s better than you sticking around here and getting caught. Follow me.” She leads Kimberly down the halls to a smaller staircase. She starts climbing the stairs as quietly as possible.

“Why are we-” Trini cuts her off with a stern look, and Kim rolls her eyes before miming locking her mouth shut. They climb to the seventh floor and Trini heads down the corridor confidently. There’s always a strange lack of professors on the seventh floor, and Trini’s been through this way so many times that she could probably do it blindfolded.

They reach the empty corridor, and Trini begins pacing in front of the wall. Kimberly watches her, a skeptical expression on her face.

“Sooo, you just come here to pace, or?” Trini ignores her, trying to focus her thoughts. After a few more rounds, she hears the telltale shifting of stone and she smiles to herself, turning to the newly formed door.

Kimberly’s mouth is hanging open in awe. “Oh,” she finally manages, and Trini smirks.

“Come on.” She enters the room, holding the door open as Kimberly steps through.

There’s a decently sized fire crackling, but most of the room is lit by a variety of candles lit in colorful stained glass containers. The whole room is bathed in a soft, multicolored glow that looks as warm as it feels. There’s a medium-sized couch in front of the fire. Aside from the crackling of the burning wood, the room is almost completely silent, although there is what appears to be a record player in the corner, with some vinyl records lined up on a rack next to it.

Trini moves to sit on the arm of the couch, a satisfied smile on her face as she watches Kim take in her surroundings.

“What is this place?” she asks, her voice full of wonder. Trini isn’t sure how to respond at first, because it feels like she’s talking to a completely different Kimberly Hart. Her expression is amazed and carefree as she gazes around, her eyes shining from the candlelight. She reaches up to push some hair behind her ear, and Trini momentarily forgets how to breathe.

She clears her throat a little before she speaks. “It’s called the Room of Requirement. Apparently it sort of just… shows up and gives you whatever you need. It changes depending on what you need it for.”

“How do people not know about this?” Kim laughs, still taking it all in. Trini blames her warm cheeks on the fireplace.

“I don’t know.” She hesitates. “Are you going to tell people?”

Kimberly meets her eyes, and she must look anxious, because her expression becomes more serious. “Do you not want me to tell anyone?”

Trini shrugs. “I mean… would you tell anyone if you had a room like this?”

Kim considers for a moment. “No, I guess I wouldn’t want anyone else to know.”

Trini nods before moving to sit properly on the couch and stare into the fire. She feels the couch dip beneath her, and she looks up at Kimberly, who has sat down next to her.

“So this is where you were going? Is it like… can anyone else get in here?”

She shakes her head. “No, I don’t think so. Not unless I want them to be here. I mean, you’re here, so…” She trails off.

Kim bites her lip in thought. She takes in a breath as if she’s about to say something, but she hesitates. Trini doesn’t pressure her, she just waits. Kim tries to start again.

“I… Earlier, when- when you saw me in the hallway, that, uh, that was…” She’s stuttering over her words, clearly nervous and uncomfortable.

Trini speaks up quietly. “I was just messing with you. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

Kim is silent for a moment before she shakes her head. “No, you showed me this place, I owe you.”

“You don’t owe me anything,” Trini says simply. They lapse into silence, both of them staring at the flickering flames.

“I… had a falling out with someone.” Kim’s voice is much steadier when she speaks this time. “I accidentally ended up hurting someone, and it came back to bite me in the ass. Things have been a little rough coming back to school after that.”

“Was it Amanda? I saw her in the Grand Staircase,” she clarifies, “before I, uh… found you.”

Kim chuckles mirthlessly. “Yeah, it was Amanda. She and some other girls cornered me. Nothing really bad happened, they just said some things and cut my bag open. It’s not a big deal.”

She’s clearly trying to minimize what happened, and Trini’s jaw clenches angrily. “If it’s not a big deal, then why were you crying?”

She doesn’t respond. Trini makes a noise of disgust. “I mean, I can kind of understand her being upset at you, but bringing other people into it and bullying you? What a bitch.”

Kimberly shakes her head. “No, she’s not like that. Or at least, I don’t think she is… I don’t know anymore. We used to be best friends but after what happened… I’m pretty sure she’s going to hate me for the rest of time. It’s like we don’t even know each other. We can’t even play quidditch together because we don’t have the same connection anymore.”

Trini thinks about that. “Is that why you’re playing Keeper now? Because you can’t work with Amanda anymore?” Kimberly’s nod just makes her more confused.

“But if Amanda is the one causing all this trouble, then why wasn’t she moved? She’s the one causing all this trouble, she should suffer the consequence.”

Kim sighs, running a hand through her hair. “It’s… It’s way more complicated than that.” She doesn’t continue, and Trini figures that she’s probably not going to hear any more about it.

“You come here a lot, huh?” It isn’t really a question, more of an observation, and Trini makes an affirmative noise.

“How did you find it?”

Trini remains silent, recalling the memory. She’d been having a panic attack, had felt absolutely humiliated at being so weak, and all she could think about was finding a place to hide where no one would see her crying. She’d thought that she was stepping into a broom closet, and for a moment she thought she’d gone crazy and was hallucinating. After she’d made sure the room was real, she stayed there for the rest of the day, only emerging when she finally had to get back to class. No one had noticed she was gone.

“It just showed up when I needed it,” she answers quietly. Kimberly probably isn’t satisfied with the vague answer, but Trini isn’t in the mood to reveal any more than she already has.

She’s having a bit of a hard time fully relaxing. It’s not because Kim is there too; on the contrary, actually. She’s more unnerved by the fact that she’s not unnerved by Kim’s presence. She’d always hoped and prayed that no one else would find her here, and it seems like the Room had listened to her and kept everyone else out. But now that she’s willingly brought someone into her safe space, she isn’t quite sure what to do now. Hell, she isn’t quite sure why she did it in the first place. But having Kim there doesn’t feel as invasive as she’d feared.

She has to will herself not to fidget. She’d been trying to find someplace to think quietly, and the Room of Requirement was always her first choice for that, but it’s hard for her to brood about personal things with Kimberly sitting right next to her. She looks to the clock above the mantelpiece and sees that it’s later than she realized. Hopefully everyone in the Hufflepuff dorm would be asleep. _Better the devil you know…_ she thinks as she rises.

Kim’s eyes follow her. “Where are you going?”

“Back to the dorm.” With the silence between them broken, Trini suddenly feels the need to get away as fast as possible. She heads towards the door that she knows has already formed, leaving Kimberly still on the couch.

“Wait,” Kimberly calls out softly, but Trini doesn’t turn around. She feels like if she stays for a second longer, then something will happen that she’s definitely not prepared to deal with. She’s not sure what it is, but she’s not going to stick around and find out.

“You can stay,” she bluntly says before stepping through the door, not waiting to hear if Kimberly has a reply. She’s in the hallway outside the Hufflepuff dorm, and she creeps as quietly as she can back to her bunk.

Even though her encounter with Kimberly has left her more emotionally exhausted than before, she still can’t manage to fall asleep. Forced to lie still in her bed, her mind mulls over the words of her father’s letter.

 _“Your mother and I are hoping that you’ve rethought your decision to stay in school. Should you decide to take our advice and drop out earlier, we will welcome you back into our home with open arms.”_ The wording had not mentioned what would happen if she didn’t come home.

She spends most of the night trying not to cry. She isn’t successful.

* * *

Fortunately, she makes it through most of the day without running into Kimberly. Nevertheless, last night still lingers in the back of her mind, probably due to a lack of sleep.

She’s blearily trying to read her way through the textbook in front of her, but she keeps getting distracted by Jason’s movements. He keeps glancing up and down the stacks, seeming equal parts nervous and worried.

Finally, he speaks up. “Has anyone seen Kim?”

“I was wondering if you were going to say something, or if you were just gonna keep up your meerkat act,” Trini responds.

“I’m just a little concerned, is all. She said she hasn’t been feeling well recently, but she’s been acting even stranger lately, and I didn’t get a chance to talk to her after class earlier.”

“Maybe she’s at quidditch practice? Or something?” Zack suggests, but Billy shakes his head.

“No, I believe that, uh… Ravenclaw has the pitch right now,” he says, checking his watch. Jason’s frown deepens. He dips his quill deep into the inkwell, scraping the bottom, a habit that Trini noticed that means that he’s frustrated. He goes back to his work, but she can tell that he isn’t really focusing.

To be fair, neither is she. As far as Trini knows, she’s the only one aware of how upset Kim was last night. If Jason, the person who arguably knows Kim best, is worried, then that’s reason for Trini to start wondering if maybe she should have stayed in the Room of Requirement.

Time passes, and Kimberly still doesn’t show up. It begins to gnaw more and more at Trini’s conscience, and she even briefly entertains the thought of checking the Room of Requirement to see if Kimberly is there. She can tell that it’s getting on Jason’s nerves too.

“Hey guys.” Kimberly’s voice takes the whole table by surprise, and Jason’s head snaps up so fast that Trini practically gets whiplash just from watching.

“Where’ve you been?” Jason blurts out, and Trini and Zack both cringe slightly at his lack of tact.

Kim looks at him like he’s suddenly sprouted a second head. “I got roped into helping Hagrid clean up after his last class, it’s not that big of a deal. Jeez Jason, I didn’t know you were _that_ obsessed with me,” she jokes, and Jason’s face flushes in both embarrassment and confusion.

“Wha-… I’m not- I was just…” Kim barely gives him a second glance before she takes a seat. They’re all thrown for a loop again when, instead of sitting down next to Jason, Kim sits next to Trini. Kim keeps acting like everything is normal, and eventually the rest of the table goes back to what they were doing.

Trini sneaks a glance at Kim, and she can’t help being impressed at the other girl’s poker face. Kim’s feigned nonchalance is clearly practiced and polished act (one that Trini herself is all too familiar with). But then Kim’s eyes flick up to meet hers, and there’s something in her gaze… Trini can’t quite figure out what it is, but it definitely proves her theory that Kim is hiding her true feelings.

Kim’s gaze darts silently towards the others at the table, and Trini immediately goes back to looking at her textbook, not wanting to draw the attention of the others. It doesn’t seem like she has much to worry about; Billy is going over his work with the same laser focus as usual, and Zack doesn’t seem to be particularly interested in whatever is going on with Kim. But Jason still has the same slight frown, and he’s looks towards Kim are tragically unsubtle.

Kim’s arrival has mysteriously made Trini feel much more awake, and she’s able to get through the rest of the chapter with relatively little difficulty. She decides to distract herself by flicking bits of rolled up paper at Zack, who throws them back at her, and soon she’s fully engaged in a magical spitball war. One of their projectiles ends up going astray and hitting Billy, who reacts as if he’s been gently slapped in the face with a wet towel.

After Billy recovers and laughs off their profuse apologies, Zack rises. “I,” he declares, “am going to go chill by the lake. Anyone want to come with? Trini?”

She’s finished all her work due tomorrow, and she’s about to say yes when she notices Kim steadfastly avoiding Jason’s questioning glances.

“Actually, I can’t. We’ve picked up an extra practice session on the pitch, so I have to finish this before tomorrow,” she lies. Zack looks at her skeptically before nodding his chin ever so slightly at Kim. He smirks knowingly, and she subtly tugs her beanie down over her reddening ears before flashing him her middle finger. He winks as he leaves.

As the afternoon drags on, Trini begins to feel more and more fidgety. She’s not exactly sure what her plan is; she just knows that maybe leaving Kim alone with Jason wouldn’t be the best idea. It’s only made more difficult when Jason seems to catch on to what she’s doing and it turns into a battle of wills, both of them waiting for the other to leave. Kimberly continues to pretend that nothing is happening.

It turns out that Trini underestimated how long she’d end up waiting around. It’s starting to get dark outside, and she can’t manage to force herself to read yet another chapter of her textbook. She keeps the appearance of working on schoolwork, but her mind starts to wander.

There were so many other things she could be doing—actually, that’s a lie, she’d probably just be reading or sleeping if she wasn’t in the library—but for some reason, she’s stuck here, waiting around. All for the sake of a girl that she barely knew anything about before last night.

It’s only when she thinks back that she realizes that it’s the start of November, and that she’s actually known these people for almost two months now. She can’t remember the last time anyone had shown prolonged interest in her for more than a week or two, let alone months. A niggling fear begins to creep into her mind. _How much more time do I have?_

Billy eventually runs off as well, leaving Trini, Kimberly, and Jason sitting at the table. She tries to ignore Jason for a while longer, even though she can feel his eyes burning a hole in the side of her head. He must be dying of curiosity and frustration at this point, but Trini is equally as confused by her own behavior. _Too late to back out now_ , she thinks.

It seems like an eternity passes before Jason lets out a quietly resigned sigh and starts packing up his things. Trini barely lifts her head as she listens to him get up. She hears him whisper something to Kimberly before his footsteps start trailing away. Once the library is quiet again, the tension in the air slowly begins to fade. Kimberly slumps back in her chair, looking suddenly exhausted.

Trini definitely hadn’t planned ahead for when Jason left, and she isn’t sure if Kimberly expects her to say something first or not. She fidgets with her wand as they sit in silence.

“Thank you.” Kim sounds different when she speaks. It isn’t the voice of the Kimberly that jokes around with the boys and makes fun of Jason and is always so confident; this is the Kimberly that Trini found in a hallway in the middle of the night, the vulnerable side of her.

“For what?” she says, feigning ignorance, and Kim gives her a tired, but grateful smile.

“For last night. And for not saying anything about it today. As much as I love the boys, I… its not something I’m ready to talk about with them.”

She knows the feeling. Even though they’re alone, Trini still doesn’t feel up to revisiting the events of last night. But something about it is still confusing her.

“If you don’t want to talk to the boys, then why did you talk to me?”

“I…” Kim seems puzzled by this as well. “I… to be honest, I’m not entirely sure why. I guess it’s because you’re different from them, in a way. Like…” she runs a hand through her hair as she tries to piece her words together, and Trini finds herself looking down at the floor again. _Why does this keep happening?_

“I’ve known Jason and Zack and Billy for years. We’ve been close for a while now. But I think that we’re kind of too close? If that makes sense? Like, I already know what they’d say if I tried to talk to them about it, and I’m just not ready to have that conversation yet.”

Trini nods. “Yeah, I get that.”

“But with you,” Kim continues, and Trini has to fight an unreasonable blush off her face. “It’s… This is going to sound weird, but we don’t really know each other that well. So I guess, I thought that you’d be honest, because you don’t have any reason to lie to me. I don’t know, I guess I just felt comfortable enough to say it to you.”

When she hears that, Trini feels a little fluttering in her stomach. _It’s probably just nerves, or anxiety, or… something_ , she tries to convince herself. She knows that she’s avoiding confronting the actual reason behind it.

Kimberly is looking at her now, her gaze a little more focused than before. She tilts her head a little as her eyes wander over Trini’s face, and Trini feels herself reddening under the scrutiny.

“What?” she manages to ask with some semblance of attitude.

Kimberly waits a little before she speaks. “What about you? Why did you show me that room? It’s clearly special to you. I’m just wondering why you’d share it with a girl you barely know.”

 _Why indeed_ , Trini thinks drily. Although she maintains a poker face, she’s mentally floundering for a response, since even she doesn’t know the answer to that question (but she might be starting to have suspicions).

She clears her throat, casually looking away from Kimberly’s face. “Yeah, well, I wasn’t just going to leave you there,” she mutters. “That’d be a dick move.”

She’s expecting Kimberly to brush off her non-answer, or to be irritated with her obliqueness. Instead, she hears Kimberly chuckle a little.

“I guess.” Her eyes are lighter, and she has a mischievous grin on her face. Trini automatically shrugs in response. She’s interested to see that Kim starts packing up her stuff when she does, and they both end up walking out of the library together. As they’re leaving, Kim nudges her playfully, causing her to look up.

“I knew you were a softy under that prickly exterior,” she teases, and Trini rolls her eyes.

“Keep laughing and you’ll see how prickly I can get.” Kim chuckles again, and Trini shoots her a half-hearted glare.

“I’m not making fun of you. I think it’s really sweet. It’s kind of cute, actually.” Trini curses herself for stumbling a little at that. It only makes Kim laugh again, and Trini swears that if she hears that sound one more time… well, something was going to happen, she’s just not sure what.

“Watch who you’re calling cute, princess,” she manages to respond, and Kim just smiles at her before heading off towards the dungeons. Trini is left feeling very confused and slightly woozy. She makes her way back to the Hufflepuff dorm room in a daze.

* * *

_She’s positive that she’s dreaming, because there is absolutely no fucking way that she would ever end up in this situation in real life. Hell, it’s almost embarrassing that she’s even dreaming about it in the first place. But that doesn’t mean she can’t enjoy it, as mortifying as it may be._

_Eager kisses are pressed against her jaw as she pulls whoever is on top of her closer. Their mouths meet, and she lets out a little moan as a tongue traces across her bottom lip. Damn these teenage hormones._

_A hand squeezes her hip, and she cups the back of the person’s head as they continue to kiss. Her fingers thread through long locks, and she sighs as she feels the lips move down to kiss at her neck. Her fist tightens, pulling slightly at their hair as she gasps-_

_Wait. Long hair?_

_Her eyes snap fully open, trying to make out something in the blurry dream haze. She sees a flash of green, brown hair, a pair of excruciatingly familiar brown eyes-_

Trini practically falls off her bed from the force of jolting herself awake, hitting the back of her head on the headboard of her bed. Wincing, she rubs at the sore spot, frantically trying to reorient herself.

“Whuzzat?” One of the other girls lifts her head, and Trini freezes.

“Weird dream,” she whispers back. “I’m fine.”

“Well, be quieter about it,” the girl grumbles sleepily before face planting into her pillow.

Trini sits on her bed, her breathing sounding far too loud in the darkness. She listens to hear if anyone else was woken up, but it seems like she’s the only one awake. Her heart is racing, and she grips the bed sheets to try and ground herself.

She hates being a teenager sometimes, because dreams like that are inconvenient at best, and humiliating at worst. But now, she’s faced with an all-new element of panic and confusion.

 _Why the hell was I kissing Kimberly Hart in my dream?_ She struggles to find a rational answer, one that makes sense, but no matter how hard she tries to reason her way out, she keeps coming back to one conclusion. The same conclusion that explains why she always gets embarrassed around Kimberly, why she blushes when they’re in close proximity, why she brought a girl she hardly knew anything about into her safe space.

She flops back down in her bed, covering her face in her hands. “I’m so fucked,” she whispers out loud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> blah, i hope that last scene wasn't too weird??? i was trying to keep the dream sequence purposefully vague, but that's a lot harder than it seems. anyhow, please feel free to yell at me


	10. lost in this feeling (don't even need a reason)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yet another Hogsmeade trip begins. Trini receives an unexpected gift.
> 
> aka Headaches from concussions and pretty girls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i had to split this chapter in two because if i was gonna publish it at the original end, it would've taken me way too long to write, and i wanted to give you guys an update. i wouldn't say this is a filler chapter, but it's not quite the bit i wanted to give you guys.
> 
> also apparently at some point i hit 10k hits??? which.... wow. thank you guys so much for sticking with this fic for so long, i'm so humbled

* * *

The team freezes, all of them gaping at Jen. Practice had finished, but Jen had held them back for a second for an announcement, and it clearly hadn’t gone over well.

Kat steps forward. “Hold up. We have practice tomorrow morning?” She has a dangerous look in her eyes, less as if she’s asking for confirmation and more as if she’s giving Jen a chance to change her mind.

“Was I not clear enough?” Jen says. As much of a presences as Kat has, Jen is undoubtedly the scarier one in this interaction. Nevertheless, the rest of team still hasn’t been cowed into submission.

“But tomorrow is the Hogsmeade trip,” Koda protests. Some of the others chime in their agreement.

“Ah, Jen,” Ernie mutters, stepping closer to her. “I was, uh, not informed about this?”

“That’s because I didn’t tell you.” There’s a quiet “ooh” from the back that’s quickly shushed. Jen turns her focus back to the whole team. “Look, I get it, weekend practices suck, morning practices doubly so. But, and this is _not_ going on record,” she intones, and the team quickly nods, “I… I have faith in you guys. I think we truly do stand a chance against the Ravenclaw team, even though they’re more experienced overall. That’s why I’m pushing each and every one of you; if I thought we were going to lose, I wouldn’t bother.”

The team quiets, shocked by Jen’s confession. Coming from her, that was equivalent to standing on the roof of the castle screaming her love for her house. Jen looks to the side and coughs, a little embarrassed by her show of emotion, and Trini smiles to herself.

“Ok.” She surprises herself by speaking up in front of the whole team. She shrugs at their glances. “If Jen says we can do it, then we’ll do it. Besides, it’s a morning practice, so we’ll still be able to go out.”

“But… Hogsmeade…” Koda meekly says, and Trini reaches up to pat him on the shoulder.

“Me too, buddy,” she says sympathetically. Koda pouts at the ground before reluctantly nodding. The rest of the team sighs in resignation.

Jen looks surprised at the sudden change in attitude, and Ernie is looking at Trini with an intrigued expression. To be fair, she’s surprised as well; she didn’t think that she’d have this much sway over the opinions of her teammates.

Ernie is the one who notices that they’re all still standing on the pitch. “Well, uh, that’s it for practice. Unless our captain has any more unexpected announcements to make,” he sarcastically adds, and Jen rolls her eyes at him.

“Oh piss off, I can make decisions on my own just fine.” Ernie’s eyes narrow as he turns to face Jen, and in a flash they’re both bickering about a variety of incidents that are at best tangentially related to quidditch captaincy. The rest of the team watches them uncertainly for a few seconds before they all quickly rush off to the locker rooms, leaving their captain(s) to argue.

* * *

“There you are.” She smells lavender, and she slightly off-guard for a second as the voice comes up beside her. She quickly falls back into her usual mask and turns to face Kimberly, who offers her a friendly smile.

“You weren’t at the library today.” Trini shrugs off-handedly at that.

“Yeah, Jen somehow managed to find the time to squeeze in extra practices, so…” Kim winces sympathetically

“Surprise quidditch practice, every girl’s dream,” Kim says sarcastically, and Trini smirks.

“I hope the boys weren’t too much to deal with,” she remarks, shifting her bag to her other shoulder. She can already tell that her arm is going to be incredibly sore by the end of practice tomorrow.

Kim shakes her head with a small smile. “Trust me, I’ve put up with them in far crazier situations. Although you should have heard Zack’s whining.” She pretends to puff out her chest and deepens her voice. “Guys, where’s Trini? Why isn’t Trini here? How am I going to justify blowing off my homework now? You guys are boring, I wish Trini was here.”

It’s somehow egregiously exaggerated and incredibly accurate, and they both end up laughing at it. Trini is reaching up to comb stray hair out of her face before she stops, groaning in annoyance.

“Damn it, I left my hat in the locker room again,” she sighs. It’s definitely not worth the effort of going back, but it’s still incredibly inconvenient, and she feels a little weird without it. “Whatever, I’ll just get it tomorrow.”

Kim perks up at that. “Oh! Speaking of tomorrow, are you going to Hogsmeade tomorrow? The boys and I were going to head down together, and I was wondering if you wanted to join us.”  

The specific wording surprises Trini somewhat. She’s sure that the rest of the group wants her there, no doubt, but Kimberly seems to be emphasizing the invitation as coming from her, personally. _That’s… interesting._

Then she remembers Jen’s earlier announcement, and she grimaces slightly. “I mean, I’m going to be heading down, sure, but I can’t join you guys. Jen also called a morning practice tomorrow, so I’ll be stuck at the castle for a bit.”

“Morning practice, on a Hogsmeade day? That’s hardcore.”

“Tell me about it,” Trini grumbles. “Assuming quidditch doesn’t kill me, I’d still like to meet up with you guys.”

“Totally!” Kimberly seems to brighten at that. “We’ll probably run into you at some point during the day, but if not, we’ll just meet at the Three Broomsticks again.”

“Sounds good,” Trini nods.

“Great, I’ll let the boys know.”

When they reach the stairway, Trini notices that Kimberly doesn’t head towards the dungeons, turning to the next ascending flight of stairs instead. “Where are you going?” she blurts out before she can stop herself.

Kimberly freezes, then slowly turns to Trini with a… guilty expression on her face?

“I was heading to the seventh floor.” She tries to pass it off as nonchalant, but Trini quickly catches on to what that means.

“Oh. My bad, sorry for being nosy.” For some reason, Trini doesn’t move. They both end up standing there staring at each other in the quickly emptying stairway.

“If that’s alright with you,” Kim says suddenly, startling Trini (and herself, it looks like). “I mean, I know you… you brought me there the first time, but I realize that that doesn’t count as giving me your permission to use that room, and I shouldn’t have assumed, so if you’re not comfortable with that, I can just go somewhere else-”

“It’s fine.” Trini cuts her off decisively. “It’s not my room, anyways. I mean, it doesn’t belong to me. You can use it.”

“…really?” Kim is hesitant, and Trini just nods. She turns away, intending to leave Kim to her own business, when she’s stopped.

“Trini?” Her name sounds different when Kim says it, and the feeling is so unusual that she almost doesn’t remember that it’s _her_ name. Shaking it off, she turns back.

“Yeah?”

Kim seems to have changed once again. It’s a familiar look, as if she’s looking for something, but not quite. It’s not quite anticipation, but… it almost feels like Kim is waiting for something from her. Trini is used to people scrutinizing her, trying to peel back her exterior and find out what’s under her skin, but Kim’s stare feels nowhere near as invasive.

Trini doesn’t know how to feel about that.

Kimberly seems to realize that she’s staring, and she suddenly blinks, looking away. “It’s nothing, nevermind. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Uh, sure. Goodnight.” Trini waits until her back is to Kimberly before she frowns, her feet automatically following the path back to the dorm.

Of course she had expected things with Kim to be different after the Room of Requirement. Truth be told, she’d expected Kim to start avoiding her and pretending that the whole thing never happened. Instead, Kim seems to have become more open, their conversations becoming less small talk and more friendly banter. It was almost like they were becoming close friends.

Which wasn’t a problem in and of itself. The issue was that while Trini did want to be friends with Kim, she realized that she was also interested in the other girl in a more… physical capacity. It’s no secret that Kimberly Hart is beautiful—you don’t even need to be into girls to understand that—but fantasizing about kissing her is something completely new and unexpected for Trini. It’s not that she has anything against being gay,—although, again, it’s not something that she ever expected for herself— but these feelings are just… confusing. It doesn’t help that Kimberly is probably the first close female friend she’s had. _I’m not even sure if I’m actually interested in Kimberly like that, anyways_ , she thinks to herself.

As she’s getting ready for bed, her eyes land on the open parchment lying on her desk, mostly empty except for one line written near the top:

            _Dear Papi,_

It’s still relatively early, so she forces herself to sit down and try to continue the letter. But try as she might, she can’t manage to gather all of her thoughts into anything remotely organized or polite enough to write down. _What am I supposed to say? ‘I’m staying at Hogwarts whether you like it or not?’ ‘I’m still mad at you and Mami for pushing me away?’ ‘I’m not even sure if I want to go back home?’_ Faint memories surface: her father’s smile, her mother’s gentle humming as she cooks, the sound of her brother’s laughter in the background, the smell of the flower garden wafting in.

Eventually she muster the strength to pick up the quill and write. She scribbles down a few words.

            _Dear Papi,_

_I’m sorry_

It’s a long time before she can write any more, and when she finally goes to bed, her cheeks are significantly damper than before.

* * *

On the bright side, she’d been so tired last night that she’d actually managed to fall asleep on time. The only other comfort she has is the knowledge that everyone else on the pitch is feeling just as shitty as she is.

“Good to see you all showed up.” Jen still has an aura of authority, but her intimidating presence is diminished by the fact that she had to yawn her way through that quick sentence.

“Bet you regret scheduling morning practice now,” Ernie half-mumbles, rubbing at their eyes. Jen reaches over and tugs on one of the locks of hair falling out of their messy bun.

“At least we’re suffering as a team. Alright, we’ll have a few laps and exercises to warm up, and then we’ll start running the plays from yesterday. Let’s see how well you guys remember them.”

Needless to say, practice starts out as a complete disaster. There are several near-collisions, and Koda actually drops his beater’s bat on someone’s head. Fortunately, the resulting adrenaline rush seems to wake everyone up somewhat, and after working out a few gaps, they manage to run through the plays quite smoothly.

Unfortunately, the more awake she gets, the more Trini’s mind seems to wander back to all of her usual concerns. She thinks about the now-finished letter sitting on her desk; she still needs to read over it and make sure everything is… appropriately worded for her father. She’s not sure whether she wants to send a reply, but she is one-hundred percent sure that radio silence would just make her parents more upset. All the same, she might need some more time to think over what she wants to say before-

“TRINI! WATCH OUT-”

_THWACK!_

* * *

“…-cussion. It’s a good thing you didn’t hit that bludger at full strength, otherwise we might be in a very different situation.”

Her mouth somehow feels grossly sticky and desert dry at the same time; she’s also aware of a throbbing pain in the side of her head, as well as something cold and wet trickling down the side of her neck.

She opens her eyes, but instantly squeezes them shut with a groan, raising a hand to shield them from the light. She hears some scuffling around.

“Trini! Trini, I’m so sorry.” Koda’s voice is somewhere off to the left, but her headache intensifies when she tries to turn her head, so she resigns herself to leaning back.

“S’fine, I’m alright,” she mumbles through chapped lips. Her hand reaches up to wipe the moisture off her neck, and her hand brushes what she thinks is an ice pack resting under her head.

“You’re in the hospital wing, my dear. While it’s nothing serious, I doubt anyone would describe your current situation as ‘alright’.”

She gingerly opens her eyes into a squint, and she makes out the form of Madam Pomfrey standing at her bedside, holding a glass in one hand. She leans down to help Trini slowly sit up, handing her the glass. Trini is so thirsty that she drinks it all in one go. It takes a second for her to realize that the liquid was not water, and she gags once the taste registers.

“Easy now, it’s just something to help you get back on your feet. Your injury isn’t necessarily bad enough to demand the aid of a potion, but I presume you still plan on going to Hogsmeade later, yes?”

“That was the plan,” Trini rasps out, and she checks that the refilled glass she’s handed is indeed water before drinking it. “What exactly happened?”

Koda looks practically devastated. “I was trying to pass you the bludger for a play, but it hit you in the head. I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have aimed that high, and I should have waited until you were looking before I passed.”

“It’s fine, Koda, it happens. It was my fault anyways, I wasn’t paying attention.” She touches the side of her head, and sure enough, there’s a small lump of a bruise. “I hope Jen wasn’t too hard on you. Shit, is practice still on?”

“Yeah, but you don’t have to go back. Me, on the other hand…” Trini would feel more sympathetic if her head didn’t feel the size of a melon.

Eventually, Madam Pomfrey dismisses them both, with firm instructions for Trini to “avoid going wild, if at all possible”. She’s not all that upset at the injury; the potion she drank is already starting to kick in and make her feel less shitty. Plus, she got to skip quidditch practice. It was almost like poor Koda (who had to do extra drills with Jen after practice) had done her a favor. After sending him off, she heads back in the direction of the dorms to rest and clean up before meeting her friends in Hogsmeade.

That’s when it hits her.

It happens without warning sometimes. She hasn’t had an attack like this in a while, probably since things have improved since… well, since she got to Hogwarts, so she’d almost forgotten that it could happen. Maybe it has something to do with her concussion. But suddenly, her chest starts to feel like it’s constricting, and when she stops walking to catch her breath, the walls feel like they’re still moving, and it’s like every minute sound, real or imagined, has been amplified. She begins to feel dizzy, swaying on her feet slightly.

 _Deep breaths, Trini,_ the small, rational part of her brain that’s still active tells her, trying to regulate the situation. She manages to suck in a breath, and then another one, and the corridor becomes a little less fuzzy. She leans against the wall and slowly slides to the floor. Curling her knees up to her chest, she squeezes her eyes closed, she leans her head against solid stone and focuses on her own breathing. _In for 3, hold, exhale…_

Eventually, her breathing calms enough for her to try and open her eyes again. She stands gingerly, feeling relieved when the room doesn’t spin. The worst of the attack has passed, but now she feels exhausted and worn out and tired all at once. Every muscle in her body is screaming for her to lie down.

Apparently her brain is lagging two steps behind, because by the time she’s recovered enough to properly think, her feet are already in motion. She’s just barely focused on a single priority: getting somewhere with a vaguely comfortable horizontal surface and passing the fuck out. Her eyelids are already quite droopy, and it’s a miracle that she hasn’t run into anyone or anything yet, or worse, fallen off the stairs.

Everything is hazy for an undetermined amount of time, but Trini suddenly finds herself standing in a very familiar corridor. The math definitely doesn’t add up (the Hufflepuff dorm is much, much closer to the hospital wing), but she honestly couldn’t care less at this point. She drags herself through the requisite three passes before shoving the door open.

The couch has been replaced by a sofa bed, and Trini wastes no time in (carefully) flopping down on it and closing her eyes.

* * *

This time, she doesn’t wake up feeling like a train collided with her skull. She stretches a little before gently feeling the side of her head. To her delight, the bruise is almost completely gone, and there’s no longer a pounding in her head. _It’ll be a true shame the day Madam Pomfrey retires._

She sits blearily for a few moments, taking her time to wake up. True to its name, the Room has a tendency to modify itself for whatever dilemma Trini is having when she arrives. Today it’s taken on a very soothing and calming aesthetic, with lots of warm, dark tones and soft textures. If she concentrates, she can tell that some of the candles are probably enchanted to cycle through scents that are comforting to her. She catches a whiff of grass and fresh air, the smell of a rainy night, and for some reason, lavender and spices…

She frowns, and the scent is replaced by the smell of cookies in an oven.

Suddenly, her short-term memory returns, and she bolts upright, looking around for the nearest clock.

 _Fuck_. She’d accidentally slept _well_ into the afternoon. She immediately wills the room to deposit her at the Hufflepuff dorm so she can get cleaned up and changed. She’s grateful to see that someone had brought her bag back from the locker rooms, but her hat was unfortunately still missing. However, there is a folded piece of parchment on the bed next to her bag. She reads the message inside:

            _Know how shit the walk to Hogsmeade is. For shortcut, go to Gunhilda statue             on 3 rd floor. Tap w/ wand “Dissendium”. _

_\- Jen_

Curious, she gathers what she needs before heading to the third floor. It takes her a bit to find the statue—History of Magic wasn’t really her favorite subject—but it pays off when Jen’s information turns out to be reliable. Working up her courage, she conjures a small light from her wand before throwing herself down the dark tunnel.

The passageway ends in a musty basement-looking room that, judging by the noise coming from behind the door, belongs to one of the Hogsmeade shops. She snoops around a little, checking out the labels on the boxes. Most of them are for various types of candies. _This is probably the Honeydukes storeroom._ She pauses, a thought infiltrating. _I mean, morally speaking, stealing is bad, but…_

The doorknob creaks as it turns, light beginning to spill through the widening gap in the doorframe. In an adrenaline-infused rush, Trini somehow manages to make it to a decent hiding spot without knocking anything over. She holds her breath as the door opens and a gray-haired woman walks in. Humming to herself, she purposefully goes through the stack of boxes with the assurance of someone who’s been using that storeroom for years. Trini watches as she uses her wand to levitate a small crate that is emitting a faint buzzing noise. _Do I even want to know what that is?_

Trini recognizes an opportunity as the lady heads back into the shop. Right as the woman passes her hiding spot, Trini rises and, as quietly as she can, slips through the door behind her. She heads straight for the exit, hoping that she didn’t look too suspicious as she left.

The weather is starting to get colder as fall continues, which Trini is definitely pleased with; she’s always enjoyed cold weather more than the heat. However, on this particular day, it becomes irritating when the wind starts to pick up. Without a hat to keep it down, her hair ends up being blown about more than she would like.

She doesn’t really have a particular destination in mind. Instead, she wanders about the village, visiting whichever shops strike her fancy. Her stomach abruptly reminds her that she hasn’t eaten yet, so she buys a sandwich from a random café and eats on the go. She even nabs a few sweets from Honeydukes on her second pass round.

A sudden squall of squawking makes her jump as she passes the post office, where it seems a barn owl has gone rogue and is trying to escape. She’s suddenly reminded of the letter she’d been writing. Even though she finished it last night, she’s still not sure whether she should send it yet, if she should read through it again, or just rewrite the whole thing. She can feel her anxiety starting to buzz the more she worries about it. Taking a deep breath, she forces herself to walk into the post office. _If you don’t do it now, you’ll just never send it_ , she tells herself.

Sending the letter from the post office turns out to be a good idea; all she has to do is drop it off at the desk and pay for it, and then the whole matter is out of her hands. Almost unconsciously, her hands drift towards her head to adjust a hat that is no longer there.

“I gotta say, finding you was a lot harder than I thought it’d be.” Maybe she’d severely spaced out, or maybe her head injury was still messing with her, but somehow, Trini is now face to face with none other than Kimberly Hart. She blinks hard for a few seconds, which makes Kimberly giggle a little.

“You touched down on Earth yet, space cadet?” Trini glares at her, but it just makes Kimberly’s grin grow wider.

“Shuddup,” she says. She looks around a little. “Are you on your own? Where are the boys at?”

Kim points down the street. “They wanted to check out some stuff in the bookshop, so I figured I’d let them have their fun there while I picked up some stuff I need.”

Trini snorts a little. “It’s kind of like babysitting a bunch of children, isn’t it.”

“Oh God, tell me about it.” Kim rolls her eyes. “You’d think Zack would be the worst one, but it’s actually Billy. He gets so caught up in things sometimes that he’ll walk into the craziest situations without a second thought. You have no idea how many heart attacks he’s given me and Jason.”

“I can only imagine.” It’s strange to be talking about the boys like this with Kimberly. She’s reminded that Kimberly has known them for years, whereas Trini just met them this year. Nevertheless, Kim is treating her as if she’s been a part of the group for just as long. Even now, it still feels weird to think that these people have actually accepted her as one of their own.

When she tunes back in, she notices Kim’s eyes are twinkling a little. It’s the same look as when she’s about to do something impulsive like throw a quill at Jason or kick Zack under the table.

“What?” Kim notices Trini watching her warily.

“I know that look.” Trini’s eyes narrow as Kimberly tilts her head, looking far too innocent. “That never means anything good. I’ve got my eye on you, Hart, I’m warning you.”

“Who? Me?” Trini is nonplussed at Kimberly’s act, and eventually the other girl just laughs. Shaking her head, she reaches out and grabs Trini’s wrist. “Come on,” she says as she starts walking.

If it had been anyone else, even one of the boys, things would’ve probably been thrown to halt by either a swift hex or a well-placed punch. As it is, Trini is too busy staring at Kim’s hand around her wrist and trying not to blush. Caught off-guard, she’s powerless as Kim drags her into what she vaguely recognizes as a clothing shop.

After several attempts, she finally finds her voice. “Uh, why are we here?” she asks.

“You’ll see.” Kimberly seems to have the layout of the whole store memorizes as she weaves through aisles and racks. Trini ends up following her around like a lost puppy, lest she be lost to the vortex of bright colors and overwhelming scents.

A small voice pipes up in Trini’s head. _You’re only letting her drag you around like this because she’s pretty._ “Whatever,” she grumbles quietly to herself.

“Hm?” Kimberly pauses, looking over her shoulder. “Did you say something?”

Trini shakes her head, twisting out of the way of what appear to be a whole pack of fourth years barreling in their direction. She ends up shoulder to shoulder with Kimberly, with very little space between them.

“Sorry.” She moves to disengage, but she freezes as soon as Kimberly’s fingers tangle with hers. She looks up, the surprise evident on her face. Kimberly smiles at her, giving her hand a little squeeze.

“Wouldn’t want you to get lost,” she says breezily as she tugs Trini along with her. “You’re so short that I’d never find you. I’d probably have to put out a missing child alert or something.”

“Short jokes. Very original.” It’s the best retort she can come up with, seeing as her brain has inconveniently ceased all function. It isn’t that crowded, so there’s really no reason for them to be holding hands. _Don’t get carried away_ , she reminds herself. _This is normal. Probably. I guess? I don’t know what normal friendships are like._ She shakes her head a little to control her train of thought.

She’s so focused on keeping herself from overanalyzing that she nearly bumps into Kim when they come to a stop. She’s embarrassed by the disappointment she feels when Kim lets go of her hand to reach for something hanging on the wall. She does a good job of hiding it from Trini’s view, which is tragically easy for her given their height difference.

Looking at Trini with a smirk, she backs away, hiding whatever it is behind her back. “Stay there,” she says before she disappears.

Trini sighs and crosses her arms as she waits for the other girl to come back. She feels a little awkward just standing in the middle of the store, but most of the people around are too preoccupied with their own lives to notice her. Nevertheless, she’s still relieved when Kimberly reappears.

“You gonna tell me what you dragged me all the way here for yet?” she says, raising an eyebrow. In response, Kimberly hands over the object.

It’s a bright red beanie. Trini looks back up at Kimberly. “Uh, what?”

She shrugs. “I owe you a new hat. You know, after your other one got lost in the lake.”

Trini’s mind flashes back to the day that she, Billy, and Kimberly had detention together. It seems like ages ago. “Huh. I didn’t think you’d remember,” she admits.

At that, Kimberly smiles and laughs a little. “Oh come on, it was a pretty memorable day! Who could possibly forget being chased by doxies and tackling a cute girl off a cliff?”

Trini is almost convinced that she completely misheard, so she tries to keep a neutral expression. There’s a beat, and suddenly Trini wonders if Kim expected her to react. But before she can say anything, the other girl is already turning away.

“Come on, it’s too crowded in here,” she says. Trini can’t help but notice that Kim doesn’t take her hand this time. Her brow furrows in confusion: _Wait. Did I get something wrong? Or am I just overthinking this? What the hell is happening right now, I’m so confused._

As they push their way out the exit, another gust of wind blows by, tussling their hair. Kim’s short bob is only gracefully ruffled, but Trini ends up with half of her hair thrown across her face. Quickly combing it out of the way with a huff, she tries to put her new hat on to keep her hair out of the way, but she stops halfway there.

“Wait, what?” She could have sworn that the hat wasn’t green when Kim handed it to her. As she watches, the color slowly shimmers, and a deep purple bleeds in instead.

“Oh yeah, it changes color,” Kim adds, almost as an afterthought. Trini pulls out her wand, trying to decide what color she wants. Eventually, she settles on yellow with a tap of her wand, tugging the hat on at last. It’s a bit tighter than she’s used to, but that’s probably because it’s new.

She meets Kimberly’s eyes. “Thanks. I mean, you didn’t have to, but thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.” The way Kim says it is a little weird, a little fast, and Trini’s eyebrow rises. Kim quickly looks away. “We should probably find the boys,” she says, changing the subject. Trini just nods slowly, and they start walking down the High Street.

Just as they reach the bookshop, Trini hears a commotion inside, and she can just barely see a flurry of movement through the misted windows. Suddenly, the doors burst open, and Zack stumbles out, falling on his face in the snow. Jason hurries out next, dodging a flurry of what look like ink projectiles and hiding behind the door for protection. Billy walks through the open doorway, holding a pile of books.

“Thank you for helping us! And I hope you get those books back under control!” he yells back into the store before Jason lets the door swing closed with a thud.

With a groan, Zack rolls onto his back. Brushing the snow from his face with one hand, he squints at the sun. Noticing Trini and Kim, his face spreads into a lopsided grin. “Hello, ladies,” he says with a flirtatious wink.

“Hello yourself.” Trini reaches down and offers her hand to help Zack up, nearly getting pulled down in the process. “Geez, you’re heavy.”

“Nah, you’re just-”

“Watch yourself, Taylor,” she warns playfully.

“All right,” he concedes, and she’s immediately suspicious of how he backs off so easily. “You doing ok?” he asks.

“I’m fine… are _you_ ok?”

“Just checking in,” he replies, his hands stuffed into his pockets. His usually untidy black hair is hidden under a gray skullcap. “Ran into Kat and she mentioned that you got knocked the fuck out during practice this morning.”

She’s surprised by his genuine concern, but she conceals it by rolling her eyes. “I’m fine, it was just a little bump. Madam Pomfrey did her thing, I’m all good.”

“Suuure,” he drawls. “And I suppose you just randomly decided to be fashionably late and hang around the castle for a few hours.”

“I was taking a nap, dude. And don’t you dare say anything, because I’ve seen you during your post-practice naps, so you have no right to judge.”

“Wasn’t gonna,” Zack smirks. “Well, now that you’ve had your beauty rest-” She elbows him at that, and when he whaps the back of her head, they get preoccupied with a brief tussle.

“ _As I was saying_ ,” he continues later, using his longer wingspan to keep Trini at a Zack-sized arms length (which is unfortunately larger than a Trini-sized arms length), “now we can get the party started.” His eyes flicker above her head, where her hat is, and he lets out a quick snort.

She glares at him. “Something funny to you?”

“Nope. Not at all.”

“There you guys are,” Jason says as he approaches. For some reason, his eyes widen a little when he sees Trini. “Hey. Uh… nice hat?” he says uncertainly.

Trini looks between Jason and Zack suspiciously. She turns to Kimberly for an explanation, but her face remains neutral. “Anyone want to clue me in on the elephant in the room? Because I don’t know what you guys are seeing, or if you’re on something, or-”

“Trini!” Billy cries out enthusiastically when he sees her. “I like your hat! I didn’t know you like the color pink, but I think it suits you.”

“Pink?!” She rips the hat off her head, staring down incredulously at the bright pink color. “What the-”

Suddenly, Kim bursts out in laughter, collapsing on the ground. Jason and Zack are both bent double as well. Trini gives them all a deadpan stare.

“Haha, very funny,” she monotones. “And I suppose you were behind this, huh?” She turns to Kimberly, who manages to stop her giggling just long enough to give Trini a helpless expression.

“It- ahaha, it was s-so easy,” she manages to wheeze out. Trini sighs, shaking her head.

Billy stands in the background looking more than a little confused. “Wait… so the pink wasn’t intentional?” When Trini shakes her head, he simply looks more lost. “I don’t get the joke.”

“Neither do I, buddy.” She changes the color back to yellow before putting the beanie back on, making sure not to turn her back to anyone except Billy. “So, where to now?”

“Ah… Three Broomsticks?” Jason suggests as he helps Kim to her feet. Trini feels her eyebrow twitch a little when Kimberly takes his hand.

“But we always go to the Sticks,” Zack complains. “Maybe a change of pace is in order… how about Hog’s Head?”

Trini frowns a little. “I heard that place is kinda shady.”

“Nah, it’s fine, people like to exaggerate. And even if it is kinda shady, there’s bound to be something interesting happening.”

Both Trini and Billy seem uncertain, but Kimberly seems to be getting more excited the longer Zack talks about it. “I’m in. Sounds like fun.”

“I wouldn’t trust that. You two have pretty weird definitions of fun,” Jason says. “But you two are probably gonna sneak off anyways, so it might be better if we all go together. You two good with that?”

Billy nods thoughtfully. “Yeah. I mean, I haven’t been there yet, but it’s probably quieter than the Three Broomsticks, so that’ll be nice. But we don’t have to go if not everyone wants. Trini?”

They all watch her expectantly, waiting for an answer. _Wow, no pressure or anything_. Trini bites her lip hesitantly before finally nodding slowly.

“Knew I could count on you,” Kim says, her hand landing on Trini’s shoulder and giving it a little squeeze. She starts walking down the street, beckoning to the rest of the gang. “It’s this way, guys.”

As they follow her, Trini notices Zack falling in step with her, trying and failing to look subtle. She spares a quick glance ahead; Kim is at the front, and Jason is unsuccessfully trying to convince Billy to let him carry some of his books. She makes eye contact with Zack, who gives her a worrying smirk. After a few moments of silent staring, he rolls his eyes at her.

“Are you going to tell me, or do I have to spell it out?”

“Spell what out, Zack?”

He leans in conspiratorially. “Come on, you walk in behind Hart with a new hat, looking shook as hell. Clearly, something happened, and I want deets.”

Trini gapes at him, affronted. “First of all, I most definitely wasn’t, quote ‘shook as hell’. I have a reputation to maintain. Second, nothing. Happened.” Zack seems entirely unconvinced. “I mean it. Apparently she thought she owed me a new hat, and who am I to turn down free stuff?”

“Why did she think she owed you a hat?”

“I lost mine in the lake when she threw me off that cliff.”

“WHAT?” he exclaims, causing several people nearby to stare and Billy to jump and drop a few of his books. “Sorry,” Zack whisper-shouts in his direction, before turning back to Trini. “What?!” he mouths.

“Oh, I didn’t tell you that? Yeah, we had detention a while back, and a bunch of doxies were chasing us, and she tackled me off a cliff and I lost my hat.” She says it as nonchalantly as possible, taking her time to enjoy the incredulous face journey Zack is experiencing as he processes the story.

“Oh what, don’t pretend like you don’t know what that means. What kind of baby gay-”

“Shut up,” she snaps at him harshly, startling him into silence. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see his shocked expression, but she can’t make herself meet his eyes. Instead, rather than continuing to face him, she speeds up her pace to walk closer to Billy and Jason, leaving Zack behind.

The buildings get sparser as they walk, the streets get quieter, and by the time they get to their destination it feels like a completely different village. Trini’s first thought is that the Hog’s Head looks disgusting. The chipped paint on the sign is barely visible, and the building itself looks like without magic, it would have fallen apart long ago. Kimberly and Zack march straight through the doors. The others follow with mild trepidation.

The interior looks better than the outside, but not by much. Trini settles at a table with Billy and his books as the others go to grab drinks. She watches as Billy sets about restacking and rearranging his new purchases.

“That’s a lot of books,” she comments.

“They were having a sale, so I took advantage of the opportunity,” he says. He seemed stacking the books alphabetically by author, but he hesitates for a second before shaking his head and rearranging them again.

“May I?” At Billy’s nod, she picks up a random book. “ _The Complete Herbfinder’s Guide to Medicinal Plants, Both Wild and Domestic_. That’s… a lot of information.”

“It’s pretty comprehensive, although it might not be up to date; I hear they might be releasing a new edition in the next few years or so. But it’s not for me, anyhow, I got it for Zack. It’s supposed to be a surprise though, so don’t tell him.”

Trini’s eyebrows rise. “Seriously? I didn’t know Zack was into herbfinding.”

“I don’t know if it’s the herbfinding part so much as the medicinal aspect. He’s been really interested in medicine recently, I guess.” Billy’s eyes flick to the side. In a flash, he seizes the book from her hands and stuffs it inside his bag, right as the others approach with drinks.

“Sorry,” he whispers, but Trini smiles at him understandingly as Zack sits next to her.

After a round or two, Trini can start to see the appeal of the Hog’s Head. Despite the frightening appearance, it’s actually a quite comfortable place. It also isn’t as cramped and overwhelming as the Three Broomsticks. Trini was actually considering coming back. _Definitely not alone, though_. Not to judge by appearances, but it didn’t seem like the pub attracted the most upstanding clientele.

They sat there chatting for a while. Trini was forced to tell them how she got knocked out during practice, and Kim ended up having to recount the whole doxy incident to explain Trini’s new hat. Speaking of, Trini was starting to think that Kimberly had jinxed the hat somehow; no matter how many times she set it to yellow, it would slowly creep to a pink color.

Trini lost track of how long they sat there, sharing stories and laughing together. It was only when the bartender rang the bell for last call that she realized how late it was getting.

Jason lets out a heavy sigh. “I guess that means we have to head back to the castle now.”

A devilish grin starts to spread on Zack’s face, and Trini instinctively scoots closer to Billy. “Or do we?” Zack says mysteriously before standing and striding towards the bar. The whole table seems equally confused. A minute later, Zack comes back holding two bottles of firewhisky, which he tucks into his robes.

“That can’t be good,” Jason mutters. With a grin, Zack beckons them to follow him out the doors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you hate me bc of my erratic updates, i don't blame you


	11. Announcement: Rewrite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An announcement about the current status and future of this fic. Cross-Posted from my Tumblr.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is really a copy-paste from a post i made on tumblr, but long story short is, i'll be rewriting this fic because as the author, i'm really not happy with it. please read this announcement for the full explanation. i know some of you guys really like this fic, and you might be disappointed or even upset at my decision, but this is my fic and this is the direction i've decided to go in. thank you for sticking with me so far, and i'm also sorry that this notification will look like a new chapter until you read it.

* * *

 

surprise, i’m still alive! and i still haven’t updated hp!au, so i understand if y’all hate me. but i do actually have some news, and an explanation regarding why i haven’t updated hp!au. this is gonna be a bit long (because it’s me), and i know not everyone wants to see this, so i’ll put a read-more out of courtesy.

first off, if you’re getting the feeling that i’ve moved on from power rangers, i’m here to alleviate your concerns. i still love the fandom, and i still love the ship; trimberly has been such a huge part of my life, and i have changed so much because of the people i have met thanks to this fandom and this fic. so my lack of activity is not because of lack of passion.

i have been trying to update. i want to write, i really do. but every time i sat down to write, i couldn’t make myself create anything that i felt was compelling or made sense or had any of the original spirit behind it. this went beyond writer’s block or a lack of inspiration or motivation. i felt like i didn’t know what i was writing anymore, i didn’t know the story, i didn’t know the characters.

looking back, i’m actually not that proud of hp!au as it is. i know every writer always views their work with the most critical lens, but i personally feel that the fic was just badly written, plain and simple. at this point in the story, i had written myself into a corner so badly that after months and months, i still couldn’t figure out what to do. and while i do want to continue the concept of the rangers in hogwarts, i don’t think i can do it with the setting that i’ve created so far.

so what i’ve decided is this: instead of abandoning this story forever in a box of shame locked deep in the darkest corners of my mind (and also freely available on the internet), i’m gonna give it one more shot. i’ve decided to try re-writing you give me something to think about, this time with a clearer head and a more focused and deliberate approach. i’ll try not to change too much, since there are some elements of the story that i could never bring myself to get rid of (ernie the nb hottie will remain, i assure you). but it will end up being a different story, not just a retelling. some people might not be happy with this, but this is what i’ve decided is best for my conscience, and i feel like its a compromise that will keep both me and the fandom happy.

the original version of you give me something to think about will stay up for now, but as soon as i have enough of the new story (version 1.5, as i shall call it) written up to my satisfaction, i will delete the ao3 upload and replace it. i’ll probably give a heads up before i do that, though.

for anyone who is still following this blog, or who is still in the trimberly/power rangers 2017 fandom, thank you so much for your patience. y’all are an amazing group of people, i love you guys, and i can’t wait to share my new (and hopefully improved) story with you.

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr to yell your feedback at me i guess (same username)


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